J Korean Ophthalmol Soc.  2021 Jul;62(7):993-997. 10.3341/jkos.2021.62.7.993.

Synthetic Fiber Granuloma Misdiagnosed as Chalazion in an 8-year-old Child

• An JH
• Jung HR
• Jun JH

• KMID: 2518504
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3341/jkos.2021.62.7.993

Abstract

Purpose
We report a case of conjunctival synthetic fiber granuloma, which was misdiagnosed as chalazion.
Case summary
An 8-year-old female patient, without any previous medical illness or ocular trauma history, visited our hospital with a prolonged mass-like lesion in the left lower palpebral conjunctiva. In her detailed medical history, she said that she often played with her doll's hair. The conjunctival mass first occurred 1 week before her visit to the private clinic. At that time, eye drop treatment was initiated under the diagnosis of chalazion. The child showed no improvement; thus, incision and curettage were performed. The mass in the conjunctiva continued to persist, so she was transferred to the hospital for a biopsy. Slit-lamp examination revealed a patterned agglomeration of fiber strands inside the mass. Complete excisional biopsy was performed under general anesthesia. Histopathological examination revealed a fibrous foreign body in the birefringence, with granulomatous inflammation surrounding it. The patient was diagnosed with synthetic fiber granuloma.
Conclusions
Conjunctival synthetic fiber granulomas are easily mistaken as chalazion. If specific fibrous strands are entangled inside the mass on slit-lamp examination, diagnosis and treatment through therapeutic excisional biopsy are required under clinical suspicion.

Keyword

Chalazion, Conjunctiva, Granuloma, Synthetic fiber