[Sub-epidermal calcinosis of the eyelid]

We report on a 17-year-old male with an asymptomatic yellowish-grayish solitary tumor of the right medial upper lid margin. An excisional biopsy was performed and histopathologic examination revealed subepidermal calcinosis. The other eye showed a granulomatous chrorioretinits of unknown etiology. The relative rare occurrence of subepidermal calcification should be kept in mind when making a differential diagnosis of superficial lid tumors. In our histopathology laboratory this is the first diagnosis of subepidermal calcinosis among 1,400 comparable specimens from 1980 to 1990. A possible relationship between the subepidermal calcification and granulomatous chorioretinitis of the other eye is discussed.