2009 Volume 49 Issue 5 Pages 209-212
A 25-year-old male presented with unilateral retroorbital dysesthesia persisting for 2 weeks followed by progressive palpebral ptosis without preceding trauma, paranasal sinus surgery, or infectious signs. Neuroophthalmological inspection revealed mildly increased intraocular pressure and exophthalmos on the affected side, without conjunctival chemosis, restriction of the extraocular movements, double vision, or visual impairment. These symptoms did not vary with posture, straining, and Valsalva maneuver. Neuroimaging showed an irregularly-shaped orbital mass without enhancement mainly situated in the medial compartment of the orbit and encasing the optic nerve. Bruit was not audible and abnormal vasculatures were not identified in and around the affected orbit. Transcranial surgical exploration through the surgical window formed by the superior and medial rectus muscles revealed a purplish elastic-soft mass, heterogeneous in consistency and tightly adhering to the surrounding tissue, so cryoprobe-assisted radical tumor resection could not be completed without jeopardizing the optic nerve. The mass was subtotally resected piecemeal without postoperative visual impairment. The histological diagnosis was cavernous hemangioma. Orbital cavernous hemangiomas may present with an atypical appearance which confuses pretreatment diagnosis and makes surgical extirpation more hazardous. Conservative surgery should be indicated for poorly demarcated orbital cavernous hemangiomas considering the usual benign clinical course and postoperative sequelae.
