Nasolacrimal duct mucocele: case report and literature review

Giant Frontal Paranasal Mucocele: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Teaching point: Giant mucocele is a rare expansile lesion that may mimic other locally aggressive lesions of the cranial vault.

Giant frontal mucoceles with massive osteolytic destruction mimicking an aggressive lesion are rare compared to smaller mucoceles. This article reports a giant mucocele of the frontal sinus and reviews the literature. Important imaging clues pointing toward the diagnosis of a mucocele on computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are a well-defined expansile mass, an intimate relationship with the frontal sinus, subtle peripheral rim enhancement, and slow progression on serial imaging. The density on CT and signal on MRI may vary along with the lesion content. The potential role of diffusion-weighted imaging should be elaborated in future reports.

Prevalence and Treatment Outcome of Nasolacrimal Duct Obstruction in Saudi Children with Down Syndrome

Introduction

Congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction (CNLDO) is one of the most common congenital abnormalities encountered by pediatric ophthalmologists, occurring in 20-30% of all neonates (range: 6-84%). The majority of the cases (up to 90%) resolve within the first year of birth. Many syndromes, such as Down syndrome, are associated with congenital lacrimal anomalies. The prevalence of nasolacrimal anomalies in Down syndrome has been reported to be 22%.

Methods

This was a retrospective study of all children diagnosed with Down syndrome at King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia between 2010 and 2015.

Result

The total sample size was 175 patients; 15 patients were diagnosed with CNLDO with a prevalence of 8.57%. The prevalence among the gender was 53.3% male and 46.7% female, with a median age of eight years. Regarding ocular disorders, 20.0% cases were diagnosed with refractive error, 13.3% with nystagmus, and 13.3% with blepharitis. Myopia, strabismus, conjunctivitis, and cataract were observed in four different patients, and the remaining four cases reported no other ocular disorders. Tearing, alone or associated with other symptoms, was the main presentation of CNLDO (86.7%). Bilateral CNLDO was the most commonly observed abnormality, alone or associated with others. The median age at diagnosis was one year. Of the cases, 53.3% were treated medically, 26.7% by surgical correction, and 13.3% required both.

Conclusion

Bilateral CNLDO is the most observed disease pattern among children with Down syndrome. In our study, tearing was the most common clinical presentation and most cases were treated medically. Down syndrome patients should be carefully examined for nasolacrimal duct obstructions and treated medically.

An unusual cause of recurrent bloody tear

We describe a female patient who presented with watering followed by swelling in the left infraorbital area of 5 years duration. She had previously been prescribed topical antibiotics on several occasions with no improvement. On pressure over the swelling, there was blood-tinged discharge from the left eye and nostril. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed an enhancing, well-defined mass lesion in the inferomedial aspect of the left orbit, likely of nasolacrimal origin. Computed tomography dacryocystogram with three-dimensional reconstruction showed a well-circumscribed mass with an irregular surface, originating from the lacrimal sac. Gram staining and potassium hydroxide mount from the regurgitant fluid revealed thick-walled cysts with sporangia suggestive of Rhinosporidium seeberi infection. Excision biopsy of the lesion confirmed R. seeberi as the causative agent. The patient has been put on long-term dapsone therapy to prevent a recurrence and has been asked to follow-up 6 months later.