IgG4 Staining in Thyroid Eye Disease

IgG4-related ophthalmic disease is increasingly widely recognized. Moreover, IgG4 staining can occur in other inflammatory diseases. The authors report a case of IgG4 staining of an enlarged, inflamed levator palpebrae superioris in a patient with a past history of thyroid eye disease. A 78-year-old woman with quiescent hyperthyroidism had clinical and radiological evidence of levator palpebrae superioris inflammation without superior rectus involvement. A biopsy was consistent with IgG4-related ophthalmic disease. There was a marked but incomplete response to an orbital injection of triamcinolone. The authors discuss the association between thyroid eye disease and IgG4 staining and the diagnostic issues that arise when IgG4-related ophthalmic disease criteria are fulfilled in patients with other orbital inflammatory conditions.