title: Canaliculocele presenting as a medial canthal mass.
abstract: Canaliculocele is an extremely rare cause of a medial canthal mass. The authors report 2 cases in which painless medial canthal masses occurred. A 77-year-old man presented with a nontender, firm mass in the medial canthal area. This mass was located at the common canalicular level and was observed to obstruct lacrimal outflow. It was determined to be filled with mucinous material and was connected with the canaliculi. A 40-year-old woman had a fluid-filled globular cyst on her lower eyelid. The cyst was found to consist of dilated inferior canaliculus wall from the punctum to the common canaliculus. On histopathologic examination, the 2 cases shared a common feature: the walls were composed of nonkeratinized stratified squamous epithelium, which was compatible with the canaliculus. Canaliculocele should be considered in the differential diagnoses of a medial canthal mass.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Jin Chul
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Young Hyeh
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.forename: Kyung In
authors.initials: KI
authors.lastname: Woo
authors.forename: Yoon-Duck
authors.initials: YD
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003560:Cysts / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007766:Lacrimal Apparatus Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D007767:Lacrimal Duct Obstruction / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D033401:Microscopy, Acoustic