Merkel cell carcinoma is a rare cutaneous carcinoma, featured by an aggressive clinical course and a mortality rate of 28% at 2 years. A 71-year-old female was affected by a 4.1-cm-wide locally advanced Merkel cell carcinoma of the upper eyelid, previously misdiagnosed as chalazion, with involvement of the extraocular muscles. Although the tumor showed a macroscopic spontaneous regression in size after the incisional biopsy, the mass was treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and surgical excision. Good functional and aesthetic result with preservation of the eyeball and absence of tumor recurrence were achieved at 3-year follow-up. In our experience, the combination of the inflammatory cascade due to the incisional biopsy and neoadjuvant chemotherapy led to the regression of a locally advanced large Merkel cell carcinoma of the eyelid.
Aged ; Biopsy ; Carcinoma, Merkel Cell ; Chalazion ; Drug Therapy ; Eyelid Neoplasms ; Eyelids ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Mortality ; Muscles ; Neoadjuvant Therapy ; Recurrence ; Skin Neoplasms

PURPOSE: To report a rare case of upper eyelid schwannoma presenting as a chalazion. CASE SUMMARY: A 54-year-old male presented to our clinic with a slowly growing, painless recurred mass located in the middle area of the right upper eyelid margin. Surgical incision had been performed on a similar mass two year previous, although no histological analysis had been performed. On examination, a 4 × 3-mm-sized, firm, nonpigmented mass was palpable in the right upper eyelid, and no signs of neurofibromatosis were present elsewhere. The lesion was initially thought to be an eyelid mass, so we performed an excisional biopsy under local anesthesia. The lesion was easily isolated from the surrounding tissue and was excised completely. Histopathologically, the excised mass showed a compact arrangement of spindle cells forming palisades with Verocay bodies (Antoni A patterns). Immunohistochemistry revealed diffuse and strong S-100 protein positivity. These findings resulted in the diagnosis of eyelid schwannoma. CONCLUSIONS: Because of its rarity and solitary feature, eyelid schwannoma can be confused with chalazion. Thus, ophthalmologists should consider schwannoma in the differential diagnosis of a slowly growing, painless recurred mass or a lesion with malignant transformation after incomplete excision.
Anesthesia, Local ; Biopsy ; Chalazion ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Eyelids* ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neurilemmoma* ; Neurofibromatoses ; S100 Proteins

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a protozoan disease which is endemic in Iran. It is transmitted by the Phlebotomus sand fly. The eyelid is rarely involved possibly because the movement of the lids impedes the sand fly from biting the skin in this region. Here, we report 6 rare cases of eyelid CL. The patients were diagnosed by skin scraping, culture, and PCR from the lesions. Skin scraping examination showed Leishmania spp. amastigotes in the cytoplasm of macrophages. Culture examination was positive for Leishmania spp. PCR was positive for Leishmania major and Leishmania tropica. The lesions were disguised as basal cell carcinoma, chalazion, hordeolum, and impetigo. The patients were treated with intramuscular meglumine antimoniate (20 mg/kg/day) for at least 3 weeks. They showed a dramatic response, and the lesions almost completely disappeared. We emphasized the importance of clinical and diagnostic features of lesions, characterized the phylogenetic relationship of isolated parasites, and reviewed the literature on ocular leishmaniasis.
Carcinoma, Basal Cell ; Chalazion ; Cytoplasm ; Eyelids* ; Hordeolum ; Humans ; Impetigo ; Iran ; Leishmania ; Leishmania major ; Leishmania tropica ; Leishmaniasis ; Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous* ; Macrophages ; Meglumine ; Parasites ; Phlebotomus ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Psychodidae ; Skin

PURPOSE: To report a rare case of sebaceoma misdiagnosed as chalazion. CASE SUMMARY: A 42-year-old female presented with a visible mass in her right lower eyelid. An elevated, hard mass was located at the margin of the right lower eyelid, and she had a history of incision and curettage under the clinical impression of chalazion. On eversion of the lower eyelid, the tarsal portion of the mass was visible as a white-yellowish lesion. The mass was excised under local anesthesia. A sebaceoma was diagnosed based on histopathological examinations. Immunohistochemical studies showed positive staining results for mutator L homologue 1 (MLH1), mutator S homologue 2 (MSH2), and mutator S homologue 6 (MSH6), and she had no past medical history or family history of internal malignancy, suggesting a low possibility of Muir-Torre syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: Eyelid sebaceoma should be considered as a differential diagnosis for refractory chalazion.
Adult ; Anesthesia, Local ; Chalazion* ; Curettage ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Eyelids* ; Female ; Humans ; Muir-Torre Syndrome

PURPOSE: Paraffinoma is a granulomatous reaction to paraffin or oily substances. We report delayed diagnosis of paraffinoma that was misdiagnosed as chalazion. CASE SUMMARY: A 49-year-old male presented with masses, swelling, and erythema in the right lower eyelid, masses and swelling in the right upper eyelid, and intermittent conjunctival injection that had appeared 3 months ago. The patient admitted having received paraffin injection to the right lateral canthal area and nasal bridge for cosmetic purposes by non-medical personnel 17 years prior to presentation. The mass showed partial response to intralesional triamcinolone injection but did not respond to systemic steroid. CONCLUSIONS: Paraffinoma can present diagnostic confusion given its protracted latency period and discordance of injection area and mass location. Detailed history taking is required and the possibility of paraffinoma should be considered for mass lesions of the eyelid.
Chalazion* ; Delayed Diagnosis ; Erythema ; Eyelids* ; Humans ; Latency Period (Psychology) ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Paraffin ; Triamcinolone

PURPOSE: To report a patient presenting with an intratarsal keratinous cyst of the Meibomian gland in the upper eyelid and a review of the relevant literature. CASE SUMMARY: A 65-year-old male presented with a right upper eyelid mass which started 5 months prior. The patient reported that the mass recurred several weeks prior even after incision and curettage procedure. The mass was 9 x 5 mm in size and located in the center of the right upper eyelid at the level of lid crease, fixed to the tarsus and a whitish elevated focus was observed at the palpebral conjunctival surface. The mass was excised under local anesthesia and originated from the tarsus. The histopathological examinations revealed an intratarsal keratinous cyst composed of stratified squamous epithelium without keratohyalin granules and filled with keratin. The immunohistochemical studies showed positive staining results for cytokeratin 5/6, epithelial membrane antigen, and carcinoembryonic antigen. CONCLUSIONS: Intratarsal keratinous cyst of the Meibomian gland should be considered as a differential diagnosis of a recurrent tarsal mass.
Aged ; Anesthesia, Local ; Ankle ; Carcinoembryonic Antigen ; Chalazion ; Curettage ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Epidermal Cyst ; Epithelium ; Eyelids ; Humans ; Keratins ; Male ; Meibomian Glands* ; Mucin-1

Acupuncture Points ; Bloodletting ; Chalazion ; therapy ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Punctures

PURPOSE: To compare the efficacy of an intralesional steroid injection in the treatment of chalazion according to triamcinolone acetonide (TA) concentrations. METHODS: A total of 108 patients with 120 chalazia received an intralesional injection of TA. Patients were divided into 3 groups according to the concentrations of TA: 5 mg/ml, 10 mg/ml, and 40 mg/ml. A regular follow-up was performed and the size of lesion and recurrence were evaluated. RESULTS: Success was defined as a minimum of 80% decrease in size with no recurrence. The success rate was 78.1% in the 5 mg/ml group, 76.2% in the 10 mg/ml group, and 78.4% in the 40 mg/ml group. These results were not statistically significant (p = 0.999, Fisher's exact test). Yellow deposits developed in 4 out of 37 lesions in the 40mg/ml group, and in 1 out of 42 lesions in the 10 mg/ml group. Skin depigmentation was observed in 1 case in the 5 mg/ml group. CONCLUSIONS: Intralesional TA injection is an effective treatment for chalazion. There is no significant difference in success rates according to the concentrations of TA. However, caution is advised in cases of high injection concentrations of TA to prevent yellow deposits.
Chalazion ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Injections, Intralesional ; Recurrence ; Skin ; Triamcinolone ; Triamcinolone Acetonide

PURPOSE: Organizing hematomas (hematic pseudocysts) of the orbit are usually the consequence of direct blunt trauma and are important in the differential diagnosis of orbital cystic lesion. Herein, we report a case of orbital organizing hematoma masquerading as a chalazion. CASE SUMMARY: A 12-year-old female visited our clinic complaining of left lower eyelid swelling. CT scan and MR imaging showed a mass detected in the inferomedial space of her left orbit, which did not invade the adjacent tissue. Excisional biopsy of the orbital mass was performed. Histological examination showed the accumulation of blood-breakdown products within a thick fibrous capsule without epithelial or endothelial lining. The mass was diagnosed as an organizing hematoma. CONCLUSIONS: An orbital organizing hematoma can present, although rare, as a chalazion-like eyelid mass. Careful clinical and radiological examinations can help in making a differential diagnosis.
Biopsy ; Chalazion* ; Child ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Eyelids ; Female ; Hematoma* ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Orbit* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effectiveness of intralesional triamcinolone acetonide injection, and incision and curettage for primary chalazia. METHODS: In order to compare the effectiveness of treatment modality, 103 patients who were diagnosed with primary chalazia were divided into 2 groups. The patients in group A underwent intralesional triamcinolone acetonide injection and the patients in group B underwent incision and curettage. The patients were followed up 1 week and 3 weeks after the procedures to identify the regression of the lesion and the procedure complications. A decision regarding success or failure was made at 3 and 6 weeks after the treatment. Successful treatment was defined as the infallibility in the functional and esthetic aspects as well as the size of regressed lesion. RESULTS: This study included 82 out of 103 patients, who satisfied the inclusion criteria. Forty-four patients underwent intralesional triamcinolone acetonide injection and the remaining 38 patients underwent incision and curettage. The success rate of the initial treatment, which was identified 3 weeks after the procedure, was 81.8% in group A and 86.8% in group B. The cumulative success rate of treatment after 6 weeks was 86.8% in group A and 92.1% in group B. No complications were observed with both treatment modalities. CONCLUSIONS: Intralesional triamcinolone acetonide injection is as effective and safe as incision and curettage for the treatment of primary chalazia.
Chalazion* ; Curettage* ; Humans ; Triamcinolone Acetonide ; Triamcinolone*