Ectopic (choristomatous) orbital respiratory cyst: histopathology and immunohistochemistry

Congenital orbital respiratory epithelial cyst with anomalous maxillary antrum in the absence of bony defect

A 23-year-old female symptomatic with unilateral proptosis with superior globe displacement and hypertropia was found to have a multiloculated cystic lesion with bony lining arising from the inferomedial orbit. The adjacent maxillary sinus was markedly smaller on the affected side, with no defect of the wall on radiographic or intraoperative examination. Surgical excision and histological analysis of the lesion demonstrated an orbital respiratory epithelial cyst. A literature review of congenital orbital respiratory epithelial cysts is presented. To our knowledge, this is the first published case of choristomatous orbital respiratory epithelial cyst associated with ossification, and a primary or secondary anomaly of the adjacent sinus without bony defect.

Primary Orbital Respiratory Epithelial Cyst: A Systematic Review and Two Case Reports

A primary orbital respiratory cyst is a congenital choristoma that presents in the orbit and with different signs and symptoms depending on the location, which might also change the surgical approach. The aim of this report is to describe 2 new cases of primary respiratory epithelial cysts and to review the literature on presentation, management, and risk factors with different surgical approaches and complications. Two cases presenting with gradually increased proptosis had a confirmed diagnosis of a respiratory epithelial cyst. CT and MRI imaging revealed a thin-walled intraconal cystic lesion. Complete surgical removal was not possible and an incisional biopsy of the wall was performed. Rarely, orbital respiratory epithelium cysts are primary lesions. The high risk of breaking the capsule during surgery and the presence of residual epithelial cells within the orbit may cause cyst's recurrence. Indeed, we recommend careful attention during dissection maneuvers and a long-term follow-up.

Presenting features for developmental cysts of the orbit

PURPOSE

To evaluate the clinical features of developmental cysts of the orbit.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Retrospective study of patients who had excision of cysts between 1992 and 2020.

RESULTS

Three hundred and 58 patients (189 male; 53%) with orbital developmental cysts were identified, all being unilateral. Age at surgery varied from birth to 77 years (mean 17, median 18 years) and the average symptom duration was 5 years (median 18 months; range 1 day-50 years). The commonest presenting features were a peribulbar lump or upper lid swelling, followed by proptosis, pain, diplopia and reduced vision. Most patients (82%) had a palpable mass, with epidermoids, sebaceous dermoids and keratinised dermoids commonly affecting the superotemporal quadrant, and conjunctiva-containing cysts usually being biased to a medial location. Cysts were lined by keratinised epithelium with dermal structures (224/358; 63%), non-keratinised epithelium with dermal structures (69/358; 19%), epidermis without identifiable dermal structures (19/358 'epidermoids'; 5%), conjunctiva (12/358; 3%), respiratory epithelium (4/358; 1%), or mixed dermal and conjunctival epithelia (30/358 'dermo-conjunctival' cysts; 8%). Overall, two-thirds (242/358; 66%) had histological evidence of chronic intramural inflammation, and a half of cysts showed granuloma formation (178/358 cysts). Chronic inflammation was less common with conjunctival cysts (54%, 7/12 patients) and none showed granuloma formation.

CONCLUSION

Developmental cysts of the orbit vary from the relatively common dermoid cysts to the extremely rare respiratory epithelial-lined cysts. Respiratory cysts, being deeper, may present late in life and cysts containing conjunctival epithelium tend to be less inflamed and typically favour the superonasal quadrant.

A rare case of a periorbital respiratory (choristomatous) cyst

Respiratory cysts are benign lesions lined by normal respiratory epithelium. There are few reported cases localized to the orbit, while those of the eyelid are exceedingly rare. Respiratory cysts usually arise either from a non-hereditary congenital malformation, where they are distinguished as choristomatous, or from trauma. Here, we report a case of a 53-year-old man who presented with a large right lower eyelid cyst that was histopathologically diagnosed as a respiratory cyst.

Complex Intratarsal Cyst with a Mixed Ciliated Respiratory-Type and Squamous Epithelial Lining

A 55-year-old woman developed a painless, non-ulcerated left upper eyelid swelling over 6 months. Examination disclosed a fluctuant mass that permitted movement of the eyelid skin over the lesion. A full-thickness eyelid resection contained a well-encapsulated cyst with milky contents that was predominantly located in the tarsus. The cyst's lining was partially composed of segments of ciliated respiratory-type and non-keratinizing squamous epithelia. Immunohistochemical evaluation with cytokeratins 17, 18, and 19 confirmed the staining pattern of a respiratory-type epithelial cell (whether or not cilia were present in the non-squamous epithelial zones). In the squamous region, entirely different cytokeratin results were obtained vis-a-vis the non-squamous regions of the lining. The current lesion is interpreted as congenital and representing an in situ persistence of embryonic ciliated glandular epithelium that normally exists only transitorily. A more remote possibility is that the lesion was the result of ectopic epithelial cells displaced from an adjacent sinus. A recurrence has not developed during 6 months of follow-up.

Respiratory Epithelial Orbital Cyst: A Case Report and Literature Review

A 44-year-old male with schizophrenia presented with progressive right proptosis for one year and conjunctivitis for two months. An orbital cyst was seen in the superotemporal region on computerized tomography and was surgically removed. There was no history or radiological signs of paranasal sinus disease or previous trauma. Histopathologic evaluation revealed a cyst lined with respiratory epithelium. Respiratory choristomatous cysts of the orbit are considered rare in both pediatric and adult patients. We review the literature of respiratory orbital cysts and conclude that they tend to present in adults and should be considered in the differential diagnoses of orbital cysts.

A Pediatric Patient With an Orbital Respiratory Epithelial Cyst

Respiratory epithelial cysts are rare orbital cysts that can arise secondary to choristomatous rests of respiratory epithelium. Approximately 15 congenital cases have been described in the literature, making it a rare disease entity. We present a case of a 14-month-old Middle Eastern male with a right infraorbital respiratory epithelial cyst. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain and orbits revealed a right infraorbital cyst hyperintense on T1-weighted images and followed fluid density on T2-weighted images. This cyst was noted to displace the globe superiorly and inferior rectus muscle laterally. This cyst was excised using a transconjunctival approach. Histologically, the cyst wall was lined by ciliated columnar cells with interspersed mucus-containing cells and ciliated transitional epithelium was present, establishing the diagnosis of respiratory epithelial cyst. To our knowledge, this is the youngest patient with a respiratory epithelial cyst of the orbit reported in the literature.

Choristomatous Respiratory Cyst Restricted to the Upper Eyelid

A 79-year-old man underwent excision of an upper eyelid mass that had been enlarging for 3 months. Histopathologic evaluation demonstrated a cyst lined by pseudostratified columnar epithelium with myriad goblet cells and cilia, and immunostaining revealed cytokeratins indicative of a respiratory origin. This rare condition, the first described exclusively in an eyelid, arises either from a congenital embryologic respiratory epithelial ectopia or the displacement of mature sinus mucosa following trauma or chronic sinus disease. The current case lacked any signs or symptoms of sinus disease or a history of trauma.

Respiratory epithelial cysts of the orbit

To describe post-traumatic and congenital respiratory epithelial cysts in the orbit, which are rare lesions with only 5 and 13 published cases, respectively. We reviewed all cases of respiratory epithelial cysts diagnosed at three institutions (two tertiary referral hospitals, one private clinic) between 1995 and 2015. We describe 10 cases of post-traumatic respiratory epithelial cyst (age range 23 - 82), presenting a mean of 17.4 years after their original trauma; and 3 congenital cases (age range 17-34). All but one case underwent surgical excision of the cyst and its lining, along with any surgical implant within the cyst. Two were recurrent after incomplete excision. Three presented with acute infection within the cyst. Respiratory epithelial orbital cysts are probably commoner than the paucity of published reports would suggest. Post-traumatic cysts often present many years after trauma, and may become secondarily infected. Complete surgical removal is recommended to prevent future recurrence.

Subretinal heterotopic respiratory epithelium: a case report and literature review

A 51-year-old female underwent vitrectomy surgery to remove a group of spherical subretinal tumors beneath the detached retina. Hematoxylin and eosin staining and immunohistochemical findings showed that the characteristics of the tumor were consistent with a subretinal heterotopic respiratory epithelium. This is the first report of a respiratory epithelial heterotopia located in the subretinal space.

Conjunctival inverted squamous papilloma: a case report with immunohistochemical analysis and review of the literature

A 63-year-old man presented with an asymptomatic papillary, sessile lesion of the juxtalimbal bulbar conjunctiva that was surgically excised with cryotherapy. Histopathologically, the lesion created some diagnostic confusion as it displayed an endophytic, or inverted, growth pattern-with squamous cells pushing into the substantia propria around fibrovascular cores, but without significant cytologic atypia, consistent with a conjunctival inverted papilloma (IP). Unlike previously reported cases of conjunctival IP, there were no goblet cells or cysts within the tumor. Immunostaining was diffusely positive for cytokeratin (CK) 7, and CK14 stained the basilar and suprabasilar cells, as in normal conjunctiva. CK17 weakly and non-uniformly stained the tumor, ruling out a dysplasia, which is usually strongly positive. The lesion's cytokeratin profile therefore paralleled that of normal conjunctiva. The proliferation index with Ki67 nuclear staining was extremely low (<1%), as was p53 nuclear staining (10-20%), both in contrast to squamous cell dysplasias or carcinomas that have a much higher percentage of positive cells. The lesion was negative for human papillomavirus subtypes associated with squamous neoplasias including carcinomas. We review the previous literature devoted to this comparatively rare condition and contrast its benign clinical course with that of inverted papillomas of the sinonasal, lacrimal drainage, and genitourinary systems and provide a set of criteria for establishing the diagnosis.