[Benign hair-follicle derived eyelids tumors in adults].
OBJECTIVE
Benign eyelid neoplasms derived from hair follicles are frequently misdiagnosed, including pilomatricoma, trichoepithelioma, trichilemmoma, trichoblastoma and inverted follicular keratosis.


METHODS
We reviewed 17 tumors seen in the last 9 years, between 1992 and 2002. Excisional biopsy constituted the treatment in all cases.


RESULTS
The mean age was 44.5 years (range 13-80 years). Ten were women and 7 men. Pilomatricoma and trichoepithelioma accounted for 76.5% of all neoplasms. All trichoepitheliomas were found as solitary tumors and no patient had a history of familial trichoepithelioma. The remaining neoplasms (23.5%) were trichilemmomas, trichoblastoma and inverted follicular keratosis. No patient recurred locally and there were no malignant transformations after a mean follow-up of 3.1 years. The most frequent hair follicle neoplasms in our series was pilomatricoma (9 cases).


CONCLUSIONS
Benign hair follicle neoplasms are rare in the eyelid. Most can simulate a basal cell carcinoma when evaluation is based on clinical evidence alone, and only the pilomatricoma may resemble a benign neoplasm. Thereby they must be excised with free surgical margins. All excised eyelid lesions should be sumitted for histopathologic examination because it is not possible to obtain 100% accuracy in diagnosing eyelid tumors.
Mencía Gutiérrez
E
E
Hospital 12 de Octubre, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, España. emencia@hdoc.insalud.es
Gutiérrez Díaz
E
E
Ricoy
J R
JR
Gómez Ledesma
I
I
Monescillo
J
J
García Torre
J P
JP
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002280:Basal Cell Carcinoma / Q000473:pathology*; D005142:Eyelid Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006201:Hair Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D018859:Hair Follicle / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018296:Pilomatrixoma / Q000473:pathology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*