title: Neurothekeoma of the Cornea.
abstract: Neurothekeomas (NTKs) are benign cutaneous neoplasms of fibrohistiocytic origin and most commonly occur in the head, neck, and upper extremities. Traditionally, NTK and nerve sheath myxoma (NSM) were classified as subtypes of a single neoplasm with a common histogenesis, but recently immunostaining has demonstrated that the lesions are most likely of distinct cellular origin. Rarely, NTKs have been reported to occur in the ocular adnexa, and the present case of a 39-year-old female is the first to describe a cellular NTK originating in the cornea and mimicking a Salzmann's nodular degeneration. This report describes the clinical and pathological findings of the patient, discusses the changes in the classification of these rare neoplasms in light of advances in immunohistochemistry, and reviews all cases of ocular NTK found in the literature.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Ga., USA.
authors.forename: Mina M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Naguib
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Ga., USA.
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Craven
authors.affiliation: Eye Consultants of Atlanta, Atlanta, Ga., USA.
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kozarsky
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Ga., USA.
authors.forename: Hans E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Grossniklaus
keywords: Corneal lesion; Corneal neoplasm; Nerve sheath myxoma; Neurothekeoma