A Rare Presentation of Conjunctival Myxoma with Pain and Redness: Case Report and Literature Review

• Main Authors: Yu-Po Chen, Swei Hsiung Tsung, Tommy Yet-Min Lin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Karger Publishers 2012-04-01
• Series: Case Reports in Ophthalmology
• Subjects: Conjunctival neoplasms, pathology; Conjunctival neoplasms, surgery; Myxoma, pathology
• Online Access: http://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/338626

Background: Conjunctival myxoma is a type of rare, benign tumor of mesenchymal cells, with fewer than 30 reported cases in the English literature. It is mostly an isolated occurrence but can sometimes be associated with systemic diseases such as Carney complex or Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. It is necessary in clinical practice to differentiate it from other similar lesions, such as amelanotic nevus, lymphangioma, myxoid liposarcoma, spindle-cell lipoma, myxoid neurofibroma, and rhabdomyosarcoma. Case Presentation: The usual presentation of conjunctival myxoma is a translucent, well-circumscribed, and painless conjunctival mass, but in this report we discuss an unusual case of conjunctival myxoma in a 47-year-old Taiwanese woman who presented initially with pain and redness. This atypical presentation complicated the diagnosis and the management at first. Surgical excision of the mass was performed. The mass was found to be a conjunctival myxoma. The patient subsequently underwent extensive evaluation but was found not to have any systemic diseases with known association with conjunctival myxoma. Conclusions: In summary, we present a case of conjunctival myxoma in a 47-year-old Taiwanese woman. The initial presentation with pain and redness was atypical for conjunctival myxoma. The lesion was successfully managed with complete excisional biopsy.