Orbital glomangioma

Glomangioma is a vascular hamartomatous tumor originating from the glomus body, a specialized thermoregulatory organ localized in the dermis and precoccygeal soft tissue. Glomus tumors are characteristically found in the hands and are very rarely reported in the head region. Here we describe a 29-year-old woman presenting with acute proptosis and pain in the left eye. A computed tomography scan of the orbit revealed a well-defined circumscribed mass, displacing the globe and lateral rectus muscle inferotemporally. The tumour was surgically removed through a lateral Kronlein approach. On histology, the lesion consisted of cavernous vascular spaces, partly filled with blood and thrombotic material, and a mixture of capillary-sized vessels and tumor cells; immunostaining for smooth actin showed a strong positivity in the cytoplasm of tumor cells, consistent with a diagnosis of glomangioma. Our case adds to the very few cases of orbital glomangioma reported in the literature and demonstrates that this tumor can be safely removed.