ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: We report a case of hemorrhagic lymphangiectasia of the conjunctiva with a 360° connected circumference, which recovered spontaneously.CASE SUMMARY: A 44-year-old female patient presented with congestion of the right eye 1 day prior to her visit. There was no history of any systemic disease or trauma, but she had experienced relapses of the same episode three times before the visit. There were no accompanying symptoms such as decreased vision or pain. Blood analysis, orbital computed tomography, and angiographic findings showed no remarkable finding. Slit lamp examination showed circumferential lymphatic dilatation extending 360° under the conjunctiva of the eye at a distance of about 6 mm behind the limbus of the right eye, which was accompanied by intralymphatic bleeding. Irregular local lymphatic dilatations were observed on the bulbar conjunctiva at 4 and 8 o'clock of the left eye. The bleeding spontaneously resolved in about 2 weeks, but the translucent enlarged lymphatic vessels were still observed on slit lamp examination and anterior segment optical coherence tomography.CONCLUSIONS: This is the first reported case of hemorrhagic lymphangiectasia involving 360° of the bulbar conjunctiva in Republic of Korea.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To report a case of hemorrhagic lymphangiectasia treated with surgical excision and confirmed by pathologic examination. CASE SUMMARY: A 21-year-old man presented with spontaneous hyperemia of his right eye of 1 week duration. The patient had a history of tuberculous retinal vasculitis and uveitis 1 year prior, but there was no active lesion during regular follow-up. There was no history of trauma, visual disturbance, diplopia, ocular pain, or any sign of systemic disease. Slit lamp examination showed tortuous dilatation of blood-filled lymphatic vessels on temporal conjunctiva of the right eye. The lesion did not change during the 4 weeks of follow-up and local excision biopsy was made for final diagnosis and treatment. Pathologic examinations revealed thin-walled lymphatic vessels with localized dilatation which contained blood in the lumen consistent with hemorrhagic lymphangiectasia. There was no sign of recurrence until 2 months after the operation. CONCLUSIONS: Hemorrhagic lymphangiectasia should be considered in patients with recurrent or longstanding localized tortuous subconjunctival hemorrhage.