CASE REPORT
Conjunctival Balloon Cell Nevus in a Young Child: A Case Report
Wasee Tulvatana1, *, Anapat Sanpavat2, Duangnate Rojanaporn3, 4, Nopadon Noppakun5
Article Information
Identifiers and Pagination:
Year: 2022Volume: 16
E-location ID: e187436412202100
Publisher ID: e187436412202100
DOI: 10.2174/18743641-v16-e2202100
Article History:
Received Date: 22/7/2021Revision Received Date: 4/11/2021
Acceptance Date: 15/12/2021
Electronic publication date: 14/03/2022
Collection year: 2022
open-access license: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0), a copy of which is available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Abstract
Background:
Conjunctival balloon cell nevus is rare and often presents in young adults to middle-aged patients with a longstanding history of melanocytic lesion, suggestive of benign pathology. The main treatment modality is excisional biopsy. Tumor recurrence is very rare. Malignant transformation has never been reported.
Objective:
This study aimed to report a case of conjunctival balloon cell nevus with an atypical presentation in a preschooler.
Methods:
We describe a case of a 5-year-and-9-month-old girl who presented with a rapidly growing melanocytic conjunctival mass, which she had since birth. Ophthalmic examination showed two prominent feeder vessels, and the lesion straddled the limbus to overlie the peripheral part of the cornea. These findings raised an index of suspicion of malignant transformation. The lesion was completely excised with a 2-mm resection margin, superficial keratectomy, ethyl alcohol epitheliectomy, and cryotherapy.
Results and Discussion:
The histopathological examination and immunohistochemical study showed a compound conjunctival nevus of the conjunctiva with most of the cells as balloon cell type. There were no malignant changes found. Moreover, there were no signs of tumor recurrence at the last follow-up of 6 months.
Conclusion:
Clinically malignant characteristics have never been reported in balloon cell nevi in a preschooler of this age. Thorough physical examination, well-planned surgical procedure, and careful pathological examination all play vital roles in the management of patients with these lesions.
