Juvenile xanthogranuloma as an isolated corneoscleral limbal mass: a case report

A case of a juvenile xanthogranuloma of the corneoscleral limbus was encountered in a 5-year-old oriental boy, who presented with a 5-month history of a lump in the right eye. The lesion extended from the inferior limbus. This yellow-orange mass was vascular and firmly fixed to the underlying tissue. The lesion was diagnosed preoperatively as an atypical dermolipoma and an uneventful excisional biopsy was performed. The pathologic diagnosis showed the characteristic picture of a juvenile xanthogranuloma with numerous Touton giant cells. Dermoid and lipodermoid tumors, as a corneoscleral limbal mass, are the most frequently encountered in childhood. A juvenile xanthogranuloma is a rare and usually benign skin disease with an unknown cause, which occurs in infants and young children. However, it can occur also as a corneoscleral limbal mass in young children.