title: Vascular tumors of the conjunctiva in 140 cases.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report clinical and histopathologic features of vascular tumors of the conjunctiva.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective, noninterventional case series.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 140 patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  None.
  
  
  METHODS
  Tumor diagnosis, anatomic location, clinical features, management, and histopathology.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 140 vascular tumors of the conjunctiva with 93% benign and 7% malignant. The specific diagnoses included lymphangioma/lymphangiectasis (n = 54, 36%), pyogenic granuloma (n = 31, 22%), capillary hemangioma (n = 20, 14%), Kaposi's sarcoma (n = 10, 7%), acquired sessile hemangioma (n = 10, 7%), racemose hemangioma (n = 7, 5%), varix (n = 4, 3%), cavernous hemangioma (n = 3, 2%), and glomangioma (n = 1, <1%). The lesions were unilateral in 89% and discovered at median age of 41 years. Bilateral lesions included lymphangiectasia, Kaposi's sarcoma, and racemose hemangioma. All tumors were typically found in adults with the exception of capillary hemangioma (<1 year) and glomangioma (16 years). The median tumor diameter was 6 mm, with the largest median diameter (15 mm) with Kaposi's sarcoma and (12 mm) glomangioma and capillary hemangioma and the smallest median diameter (3 mm) with cavernous hemangioma. The most common anatomic sites included bulbar conjunctiva, which was extralimbal in 80 patients (57%), limbal in 19 patients (14%), tarsal conjunctiva in 27 patients (19%), and forniceal conjunctival in 24 patients (17%). Clinical features included cystic component in 24% of patients (seen with lymphangioma, glomangioma, and varix), well-defined margins in 64% of patients, and feeder vessels in 39% of patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A variety of vascular tumors can occur in both children and adults at various anatomic locations in the conjunctiva. They tend to occur unilaterally on the bulbar conjunctiva, and the majority of tumors are benign.
authors.affiliation: Oncology Service, Wills Eye Institute, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. jerryshields@comcast.net
authors.forename: Jerry A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Shields
authors.forename: Arman
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mashayekhi
authors.forename: Brad E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Kligman
authors.forename: W Benjamin
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Kunz
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Criss
authors.forename: Ralph C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Eagle
authors.forename: Carol L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Shields
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003230:Conjunctival Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009383:Neoplasms, Vascular Tissue / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D012189:Retrospective Studies