Orbital Myiasis in a Patient With a Chronically Exposed Hydroxyapatite Implant

Abstract

In Brief We describe the clinical presentation of the first case, to our knowledge, of myiasis in an orbit with an exposed hydroxyapatite implant. We examined a 10-year-old boy with an 8-year exposure of an orbital implant. He had an infestation with maggots. The implant and the worms were surgically removed, allowing the socket to heal by secondary intention. The patient was able to wear a prosthesis 2 weeks later. The parasites were identified as belonging to Cochliomyia hominivorax, a fly responsible for the majority of cases of myiasis in the Western hemisphere. Infestation with maggots is an unusual complication of an orbit with an exposed hydroxyapatite implant.