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Updated: Aug 12, 2026
The Chick Chorioallantoic Membrane In Vivo Model to Assess Perineural Invasion in Head and Neck Cancer
Published on: June 21, 2019
Ectopic chordoma with orbital invasion
A Moshari1, E E Bloom, I W McLean
1Department of Ophthalmic Pathology, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Washington, DC 20306-6000, USA. anouche@hotmail.com
Purpose:
To report a rare ectopic chordoma within the orbital wall.
Methods:
Case report.
Results:
A 63-year-old woman developed swelling of the eyelid, tearing, blurred vision, and progressive proptosis RE of 1 month's duration. Neuroimaging studies revealed an osteolytic mass with epicenter at the sphenozygomatic suture that eroded intracranially, invaded into the orbit, and compressed orbital soft tissues. Surgical debulking was done followed by radiation treatment. The pathologic findings of physaliphorous epithelial cells with multiple vacuoles containing mucin, prominent nuclei, and positive immunohistochemical staining for S-100, Vimentin, epithelial membrane antigen, and pancytokeratin were diagnostic for chordoma.
Conclusion:
Orbital wall ectopic localization of a chordoma distant from the clivus is a rare occurrence.
