AIM: To analyze the pathological features, immunophenotype, and imaging findings of conjunctival lymphangiectasia(CL), and to explore the etiological mechanisms and provide a theoretical basis for clinical diagnosis and treatment. METHODS:This single-center descriptive cross-sectional study enrolled postoperative specimens from patients with CL who underwent surgical treatment in the hospital between Feb. 2023 and Sept. 2025. Routine hematoxylin and eosin(HE)staining and immunohistochemical staining(D2-40, CD31, CD34, CK)were performed. Anterior segment optical coherence tomography(AS-OCT)was used to observe the lesion morphology. The pathological results were comprehensively analyzed combined with clinical data. RESULTS: A total of postoperative specimens from 32 eyes of 32 patients with CL were enrolled, including 23 females(72%)and 9 males(28%), with a mean age of 53.03±12.47 y. All patients presented with single or multiple transparent cystic elevations beneath the bulbar conjunctiva. The postoperative pathological manifestations were characterized by dilation of conjunctival lymphatic vessels lined with a single layer of flattened endothelial cells, accompanied by edema and inflammatory infiltration in the surrounding stroma. All cases were positive for D2-40, confirming a lymphatic origin; some cases also expressed CD31 and CD34. AS-OCT revealed the lesions as unilocular or multilocular cystic spaces with low reflectivity. After complete surgical resection, the mean follow-up period was 16.2 mo with no recurrence.CONCLUSION:CL is a benign ocular surface lesion characterized by lymphatic vessel dilation. The endothelium co-expresses lymphatic and some vascular markers, suggesting that CL may belong to the spectrum of vascular malformations. AS-OCT has adjunctive diagnostic value, and surgical resection has definitive therapeutic efficacy.

Conjunctival lymphangiectasia is a low-incidence ocular surface disease that is currently rarely reported in the relevant literature. It may be related to cosmetic eyelid surgery, tumor, radiation or chemotherapy and other factors and often causes a foreign body sensation, lacrimation, eye pain, visual fatigue and other discomfort. These symptoms of constant eye irritation affect the patient's quality of life. At present, anterior segment optical coherence tomography can be used for clinical diagnosis, and the novel monoclonal antibody D2-40, as a marker of lymphatic endothelial cell dilatation, has high specificity in pathological diagnosis. Previous studies have not fully defined the pathogenesis of the disease, and treatment methods vary. Conventional treatment has resulted in varying degrees of damage to the conjunctiva in patients. In recent years, anti-vascular endothelial growth factor drugs have been reported to be effective in treating the disease with few complications. This article reviews the pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of this rare disease in order to gain a better understanding of conjunctival lymphangiectasia and provide more support for clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy of triamcinolone acetonide injection behind the eyeball in the treatment of Purtscher disease and its effects on vision, inflammatory factors, nitric oxide (NO) and endothelin-1 (ET-1) of aqueous fluid.Methods:A total of 64 patients with Purtscher disease admitted to First People′s Hospital of Lanzhou City from January 2016 to January 2020 were selected and divided into two groups by random number table, with 32 cases in each group. The control group was given conventional treatment, and the observation group was injected with triamcinolone acetonide behind the eyeball on this basis. The total effective rate after 6 weeks of treatment, the best corrected visual acuity and hemodynamic indicators peak flow velocity (V max), end-diastolic flow velocity (V min), resistance index (RI) of ophthalmic artery and central retinal artery during systole, aqueous humor inflammatory factors tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-2, IL-6, NO, ET-1, and adverse reactions after 3 and 6 weeks of treatment were compared between the two groups. Results:After 6 weeks of treatment, the total effective rate in the observation group was higher than that in the control group: 96.9% (31/32) vs. 75.0% (24/32), and the difference was statistically significant ( χ2 = 4.655, P<0.05). After 3, 6 weeks of treatment, the best corrected visual acuity in the observation group was higher than that in the control group: 0.44 ± 0.13 vs. 0.35 ± 0.12, 0.88 ± 0.16 vs. 0.62 ± 0.15, and the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.05). After 3, 6 weeks of treatment, the V max and V min of the ophthalmic artery and central retinal artery in the observation group were higher than those in the control group: after 3 weeks of treatment: (29.42 ± 0.93) cm/s vs. (28.65 ± 0.90) cm/s, (8.04 ± 1.08) cm/s vs. (6.95 ± 1.12) cm/s, (8.42 ± 1.21) cm/s vs. (8.39 ± 1.19) cm/s, (4.05 ± 0.61) cm/s vs.(3.58 ± 0.57) cm/s; after 6 weeks of treatment: (31.72 ± 1.03) cm/s vs. (29.58 ± 0.95) cm/s, (9.81 ± 1.06) cm/s vs. (7.78 ± 1.15) cm/s, (12.01 ± 1.23) cm/s vs. (10.82 ± 1.07) cm/s, (4.65 ± 0.47) cm/s vs. (4.02 ± 0.36) cm/s; the RI of the ophthalmic artery and central retinal artery in the observation group were lower than those in the control group: after 3 weeks of treatment: 0.76 ± 0.06 vs. 0.80 ± 0.05, 0.70 ± 0.03 vs. 0.76 ± 0.04; after 6 weeks of treatment: 0.71 ± 0.05 vs.0.75 ± 0.04, 0.68 ± 0.04 vs.0.72 ± 0.03, and the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05). After 3 and 6 weeks of treatment, the levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6 of aqueous fluid in the observation group werelower than those in the control group: after 3 weeks of treatment: (2.61 ± 0.38) μg/L vs.(4.75 ± 0.41) μg/L, (3.45 ± 0.28) μg/L vs.(6.28 ± 1.05) μg/L, (6.28 ± 0.34) μg/L vs. (9.45 ± 1.14)μg/L, (9.82 ± 1.66) ng/L vs. (12.45 ± 2.31) ng/L; after 6 weeks of treatment: (0.98 ± 0.23) μg/L vs. (1.44 ± 0.27) μg/L, (1.11 ± 0.36) μg/L vs. (1.69 ± 0.38) μg/L, (3.68 ± 1.02) μg/L vs. (5.73 ± 1.15) μg/L, (4.11 ± 1.19) ng/L vs. (7.38 ± 1.06) ng/L, and the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05). After 3, 6 weeks of treatment, the levels of NO in the observation group washigher than that in the control group: (56.49 ± 9.17) μmol/L vs. (50.22 ± 8.68) μmol/L, (60.18 ± 8.27) μmol/L vs. (53.24 ± 7.96) μmol/L; the levels of ET-1 waslower than that in the control group: (60.77 ± 9.61) ng/L vs. (65.02 ± 10.85) ng/L, (56.59 ± 7.22) ng/L vs. (61.18 ± 6.76) ng/L, and the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05). The incidence of adverse reactions in the two groups had no statistical significance ( P>0.05). Conclusions:The injection of triamcinolone acetonide behind the eyeball to treat Purtscher disease can improve ocular hemodynamics, inhibit inflammation, improve vascular endothelial function and improve visual acuity. It has significant curative effect and certain safety.