Midline granuloma presenting as orbital cellulitis.
BACKGROUND
Lethal midline granuloma usually presents with rhinorrhoea and redness of the skin above the nose. Early ocular symptoms are very rare. We here describe a patient who presented with acute orbital cellulitis.


METHODS
A 73-year-old woman had a 24-h history of severe pain around her left eye. We saw the typical clinical picture of orbital cellulitis. A CT scan revealed a diffuse infiltration of the left upper and lower lid, the anterior orbit and the ethmoidal sinuses.


RESULTS
On surgical exploration we found a granular, partly necrotic tumour. Histological examination revealed an angiocentric nasal T-cell lymphoma (midline granuloma).


CONCLUSIONS
Midline granuloma should be included in the differential diagnosis of acute orbital cellulitis.
Meyer
J H
JH
University Eye Clinic, Freiburg, Germany.
Scharf
B
B
Gerling
J
J
D000208:Acute Disease; D000368:Aged; D002481:Cellulitis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005141:Eyelid Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006103:Granuloma, Lethal Midline / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D016399:Lymphoma, T-Cell / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D009669:Nose Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D009915:Orbit / Q000473:pathology; D009916:Orbital Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed