Renal cell carcinoma metastasis masquerading as recurrent orbital haematoma.

A 70 year old man developed orbital haemorrhage after retrobulbar anaesthesia for cataract surgery and biopsy of a persistent lateral rectus mass suggested organising haematoma. Subsequent progression of the mass was shown, on repeated biopsy, to be due to metastatic renal cell carcinoma--a tumour recognised for its angiogenic and haemorrhagic potential.

Decreased thickness and integrity of the macular elastic layer of Bruch's membrane correspond to the distribution of lesions associated with age-related macular degeneration.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of blindness in the elderly. In its severest form, choroidal neovessels breach the macular Bruch's membrane, an extracellular matrix compartment comprised of elastin and collagen laminae, and grow into the retina. We sought to determine whether structural properties of the elastic lamina (EL) correspond to the region of the macula that is predilected toward degeneration in AMD. Morphometric assessment of the macular and extramacular regions of 121 human donor eyes, with and without AMD, revealed a statistically significant difference in both the integrity (P < 0.0001) and thickness (P < 0.0001) of the EL between the macular and extramacular regions in donors of all ages. The EL was three to six times thinner and two to five times less abundant in the macula than in the periphery. The integrity of the macular EL was significantly lower in donors with early-stage AMD (P = 0.028), active choroidal neovascularization (P = 0.020), and disciform scars (P = 0.003), as compared to unaffected, age-matched controls. EL thickness was significantly lower only in individuals with disciform scars (P = 0.008). The largest gaps in macular EL integrity were significantly larger in all categories of AMD (each P < 0.0001), as compared to controls. EL integrity, thickness, and gap length in donors with geographic atrophy did not differ from those of controls. These structural properties of the macular EL correspond spatially to the distribution of macular lesions associated with AMD and may help to explain why the macula is more susceptible to degenerative events that occur in this disease.

Pleomorphic lipoma of the orbit: a case series and review of literature.

OBJECTIVE: Pleomorphic lipomas are rare benign tumors that can resemble a variety of malignant soft tissue tumors on histologic examination. Six cases of patients with orbital pleomorphic lipoma, one of which was proven to be bilateral, are presented. DESIGN: Retrospective, noncomparative, interventional case series with clinicopathologic correlation. METHODS: Clinical and histologic review of 6 patients with pleomorphic lipomas of the orbit and histologic review of fat from 22 exenteration specimens and 20 other orbital procedures. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Evidence of histologic abnormalities in histologic specimens. RESULTS: Pleomorphic spindle cells and multinucleated cells with nuclei arranged in a floret-like pattern were present in 7 specimens from 6 patients presenting with a clinical diagnosis of orbital fat prolapse, but there were no similar cell types present in the adipose tissue of 22 exenteration or 20 other orbital specimens. CONCLUSION: Pleomorphic lipoma may arise in the orbit, presenting as what was hitherto considered to be age-related epibulbar prolapse of orbital fat.