Microglia at sites of atrophy restrict the progression of retinal degeneration via galectin-3 and Trem2.

Outer retinal degenerations, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD), are characterized by photoreceptor and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) atrophy. In these blinding diseases, macrophages accumulate at atrophic sites, but their ontogeny and niche specialization remain poorly understood, especially in humans. We uncovered a unique profile of microglia, marked by galectin-3 upregulation, at atrophic sites in mouse models of retinal degeneration and human AMD. In disease models, conditional deletion of galectin-3 in microglia led to phagocytosis defects and consequent augmented photoreceptor death, RPE damage, and vision loss, indicating protective roles. Mechanistically, Trem2 signaling orchestrated microglial migration to atrophic sites and induced galectin-3 expression. Moreover, pharmacologic Trem2 agonization led to heightened protection but in a galectin-3-dependent manner. In elderly human subjects, we identified this highly conserved microglial population that expressed galectin-3 and Trem2. This population was significantly enriched in the macular RPE-choroid of AMD subjects. Collectively, our findings reveal a neuroprotective population of microglia and a potential therapeutic target for mitigating retinal degeneration.

Eccrine Ductal Carcinoma of the Eyelid.

The authors present the third example of an eccrine ductal carcinoma of the eyelid. A woman in her early 70s presented with a lesion of the central right lower eyelid margin in the vicinity where an actinic keratosis was diagnosed by biopsy 2.75 years previously. Her dermatologist and ophthalmologist monitored the area of actinic keratosis, and it was stable for 2.5 years until the area became ulcerated and thickened with the loss of eyelashes. A wedge resection disclosed a squamous cell carcinoma in situ and a separate eccrine ductal carcinoma. The eccrine ductal carcinoma had in situ tumor thickening, an eccrine duct component, and an invasive tumor infiltrating the tarsal plate and replacing the normal meibomian glands. The invasive eccrine ductal carcinoma only mildly thickened the tarsal plate and was most likely an incidental finding in a biopsy prompted by the squamous cell carcinoma in situ. The 5-year relative survival rate for malignant apocrine-eccrine tumors is approximately 97%, and our patient is alive and without evidence of local or distant tumor recurrence 5.5 years following the excision of her eyelid tumor.

Primary Vitreoretinal Lymphoma Masquerading as Post-Operative Endophthalmitis in a Pregnant Patient with Longstanding Idiopathic Panuveitis.

PURPOSE: To report primary vitreoretinal lymphoma after surgical 0.59 mg fluocinolone acetonide implant (FAi) exchange in a patient treated with adalimumab for idiopathic bilateral panuveitis. METHODS: Retrospective case review. RESULTS: A 37-year-old woman with bilateral idiopathic panuveitis, who had favorable responses to previous FAi surgical implants, presented with right eye recurrent intraocular inflammation and cystoid macular edema that partially responded to systemic adalimumab. Her FAi was replaced, given her previous favorable response. She developed post-operative ocular inflammation transiently responsive to two serial vitreous taps and injections of intravitreal antimicrobials and then worsening inflammation and new layered flocculant material. Diagnostic vitrectomy showed a few atypical lymphocytes and cultures were negative. At post-diagnostic vitrectomy month 1, flocculant material recurred. Aqueous cytology and flow cytometry revealed large CD45 positive B-cells suspicious for lymphoma. Post-operatively, she revealed that she was pregnant. She was treated with 8 monthly intravitreal methotrexate injections and post-partum consolidation radiotherapy. Subsequent repeat cytology, flow cytometry, and corneal pathology revealed large B-cells that were CD20 positive, and next generation sequencing detected a dominant monoclonal B-cell population, diagnostic of PVRL. 19 months after FAi exchange, she developed an area of enhancement in the lateral aspect of the right frontal lobe on brain MRI, consistent with central nervous system involvement. CONCLUSION: We present a unique case of PVRL masquerading as post-operative endophthalmitis after FAi exchange in an eye with chronic panuveitis treated with adalimumab immunosuppressive therapy. We hypothesize that there may be a causal relationship between adalimumab and PVRL.

A CASE OF HIGH-RISK CILIARY BODY MELANOMA ARISING IN AN EYE AFTER RESECTION OF AN IRIDOCILIARY MELANOCYTOMA.

PURPOSE: To report a case of a benign iridociliary melanocytoma recurring as malignant melanoma after excision. METHODS: Observational case report with clinical data, slit-lamp examination findings, ultrasound biomicroscopy results, and histopathological and genetic analyses. RESULTS: A 40-year-old African American woman initially presented with a superonasal iridociliary mass with a maximal thickness of 2.5 mm. Visual acuity of the involved eye was 20/25, intraocular pressure was 52 mmHg on maximal pressure-lowering medications, and Humphrey visual field testing revealed an inferior altitudinal defect. Fine-needle aspiration biopsy and incisional biopsy followed by tumor excision confirmed a benign melanocytoma. After 5 years of stability, possible recurrence was detected on ultrasound biomicroscopy as an increase in ciliary body thickness. The new lesion grew to a thickness of 5.1 mm over the next 18 months of observation. Fine-needle aspiration biopsy and gene expression profile of the recurrent lesion diagnosed a malignant melanoma with high metastatic potential (Class 2). The patient underwent plaque brachytherapy and has ongoing regression of the tumor. CONCLUSION: Transformation of benign iridociliary melanocytoma to melanoma is rare. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first documented case of a melanoma arising in an eye after initial excision of a melanocytoma. Close monitoring of these patients is warranted even years after the initial excision.

Spindle Cell/Sclerosing Rhabdomyosarcoma of the Orbit.

A 3-year-old boy developed proptosis over 3 weeks. CT and MRI disclosed a 3.2 × 1.9 cm soft-tissue mass of the right extraconal and intraconal orbit with sphenoid bone erosion. After debulking through an upper eyelid crease incision, the tumor was diagnosed as a spindle cell/sclerosing rhabdomyosarcoma. DNA sequencing was negative for an L122R mutation in MyoD1 . Spindle cell/sclerosing rhabdomyosarcoma is an uncommon variant of this neoplasm, and only 2 patients with orbital tumors have been reported in 2 case series. Spindle cell/sclerosing rhabdomyosarcomas confined to the orbit are considered to have an excellent prognosis when treated with chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Diagnosis and treatment planning rely on histology, immunohistochemistry, and molecular analysis.

Mönckeberg sclerosis with giant cells as a masquerade of giant cell arteritis.

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is the most common type of vasculitis in adults, which is classified as a large/medium vessel vasculitis. It has a predilection for the ophthalmic circulation and extracranial carotid system. Temporal artery biopsy specimens can show the presence of inflammatory multinucleated giant cells. Here, we report just the third case of Mönckeberg sclerosis with multinucleated giant cells affecting the temporal artery and mimicking GCA. This rare finding in the evaluation of a common vasculitis is important for rheumatologists to be aware of and emphasizes close collaboration between clinicians and pathologists.

Multiple Cranial Neuropathies as the Initial Presentation of Primary Ductal Adenocarcinoma of the Lacrimal Gland.

Primary ductal adenocarcinoma of the lacrimal gland is a rare, aggressive malignancy that clinically and histologically resembles salivary duct carcinoma. Similar to other malignant epithelial lacrimal gland tumors, ductal adenocarcinoma typically presents with unilateral proptosis, pain, upper eyelid swelling, palpable mass, diplopia, ptosis, and blurred or decreased vision. Rarely, primary malignant epithelial lacrimal gland tumors may first present with multiple cranial neuropathies due to occult spread to the cavernous sinus, as in this case. With such a vast differential diagnosis, a practical yet systematic approach to multiple cranial neuropathies, as guided by clinical history, exam, and neuroimaging, allows for a more targeted diagnostic evaluation, especially when multiple diagnostic tests and interventions return unrevealing. A repeat biopsy or complete excision of the lacrimal gland may be necessary to yield the correct diagnosis.

Uveal Melanoma Metastatic to the Cavernous Sinus: A Case Report.

A woman in her early 50s previously treated 7 years prior with iodine-125 plaque brachytherapy without a biopsy for gene expression profiling for uveal melanoma in the left eye presented with a 3-week history of intermittent diplopia and headache. Ophthalmic examination was significant for limitation in left eye upward gaze; otherwise, examination revealed a stable, regressed tumor in the left eye, and normal vision, pressure, and pupils in both eyes. Neuroimaging showed a left cavernous sinus lesion, suggestive of a meningioma. Excisional biopsy revealed metastatic melanoma. The patient was treated with radiotherapy, and her diplopia resolved. Slight enlargement of the lesion was noted on neuroimaging 20 months later, and was treated with stereotactic radiosurgery. Serial neuroimaging in the following 6 months did not reveal any recurrences or new metastases. This case demonstrates the importance of investigating persistent diplopia in a patient with a history of uveal melanoma, and the possibility of metastases occurring in organs besides the liver or lung.

Clinical and Morphologic Outcomes of Minimally Invasive Direct Corneal Neurotization.

PURPOSE: To describe clinical outcomes of a minimally invasive technique for direct corneal neurotization to treat neurotrophic keratopathy. METHODS: All cases of corneal neurotization for neurotrophic keratopathy performed by a single surgeon using minimally invasive direct corneal neurotization were reviewed. The supraorbital donor nerve was directly transferred to the cornea through an upper eyelid crease incision using either a combination of endoscopic and direct visualization or direct visualization alone. Detailed ocular and adnexal examinations as well as Cochet-Bonnet esthesiometry of the affected cornea were performed. Corneal histopathology and in vivo confocal microscopy after minimally invasive direct corneal neurotization were reviewed in one patient who underwent simultaneous penetrating keratoplasty. RESULTS: Five consecutive cases in 4 patients were included, with a mean follow up of 15.8 months (range: 11-23 months). Average denervation time was 17.8 months (range: 6-24 months). Baseline corneal conditions were Mackie stage 1 (20%), Mackie stage 2 (40%), and Mackie stage 3 (40%). All patients demonstrated improvements in corneal sensibility and appearance postoperatively. All patients demonstrated stable or improved visual acuity. No patients developed persistent epithelial defects postoperatively, and all achieved return of tactile skin sensation in the donor nerve sensory distribution. In vivo confocal microscopy after minimally invasive direct corneal neurotization and simultaneous penetrating keratoplasty demonstrated regeneration of corneal nerves. Complications included an asymptomatic small bony excrescence lateral to the supraorbital notch in one patient and cataract progression in the patient who underwent penetrating keratoplasty. CONCLUSIONS: Minimally invasive direct corneal neurotization is a safe and effective treatment of neurotrophic keratopathy.

Idiopathic orbital inflammation with bone destruction and extension into the paranasal sinuses.

Idiopathic orbital inflammation developed in the right orbit of a woman in her mid-thirties, causing tearing, photophobia, diplopia, altered depth perception, proptosis, and pain on eye movements. Computed tomography disclosed a mass involving the intraconal and extraconal nasal right orbit, extending to the orbital apex with anterior displacement of the globe, effacement of the medial rectus muscle, portions of the fat plane, and the superior oblique muscle, and bone destruction with extension of the mass through the orbital floor into the superior maxillary sinus and through the lamina papyracea into the ethmoid sinus. Orbital biopsy disclosed dense fibrous connective tissue with numerous lymphocytes and macrophages. Immunohistochemical stains supported a diagnosis of idiopathic inflammatory pseudotumor involving the orbit and sinus mucosa. Treatment with a prednisone taper and a retrobulbar injection of triamcinolone acetonide have relieved her symptoms and diminished her proptosis. This patient highlights the rare potential of idiopathic orbital inflammation to erode though bone into adjacent cranial structures.

Reduction in Mortality after Umbilical Cord Blood Transplantation in Children Over a 20-Year Period (1995-2014).

Infections and graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) have historically resulted in high mortality among children undergoing umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT). However, recent advances in clinical practice have likely improved outcomes of these patients. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of children (<18years of age) undergoing UCBT at Duke University between January 1, 1995 and December 31, 2014. We compared 2-year all-cause and cause-specific mortality during 3 time periods based on year of transplantation (1995 to 2001, 2002 to 2007, and 2008 to 2014). We used multivariable Cox regression to identify demographic and UCBT characteristics that were associated with all-cause mortality, transplantation-related mortality, and death from invasive aspergillosis after adjustment for time period. During the 20-year study period 824 children underwent UCBT. Two-year all-cause mortality declined from 48% in 1995 to 2001 to 30% in 2008 to 2014 (P = .0002). White race and nonmalignant UCBT indications were associated with lower mortality. Black children tended to have a higher risk of death for which GVHD (18% versus 11%; P = .06) or graft failure (9% versus 3%; P = .01) were contributory than white children. Comparing 2008 to 2014 with 1995 to 2001, more than half (59%) of the reduced mortality was attributable to a reduction in infectious mortality, with 45% specifically related to reduced mortality from invasive aspergillosis. Antifungal prophylaxis with voriconazole was associated with lower mortality from invasive aspergillosis than low-dose amphotericin B lipid complex (hazard ratio, .09; 95% confidence interval, .01 to .76). With the decline in mortality from invasive aspergillosis, adenovirus and cytomegalovirus have become the most frequentinfectious causes of death in children after UCBT. Advances in clinical practice over the past 20years improved survival of children after UCBT. Reduced mortality from infections, particularly invasive aspergillosis, accounted for the largest improvement in survival and was associated with use of voriconazole for antifungal prophylaxis.

Beneath the Retinal Pigment Epithelium: Histopathologic Findings in Metastatic Extranodal Natural Killer/T-Cell Lymphoma, Nasal Type.

PURPOSE: To report a case of extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTCL), nasal type metastatic to the space beneath the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) with coincident paraneoplastic lymphoma-associated retinopathy. METHODS: Findings of clinical and histopathologic examination are presented with differential diagnoses and a literature review. CASE REPORT: A 53-year-old man presented with bilateral blindness and had exudative retinal detachments overlying subretinal masses in both eyes. Flow cytometry of pericardial fluid revealed malignant T lymphocytes. After two cycles of chemotherapy, the patient was hospitalized and quickly expired. Autopsy revealed lymphoma involving the eyes, heart, right lung, and two subcarinal lymph nodes focally. Histopathologic examination of the eyes revealed intraocular metastases from ENKTCL, nasal type. Expression of CD3 and CD56, along with expression of Epstein-Barr virus by in situ hybridization, confirmed the diagnosis. Lymphomatous infiltrates were confined to the space beneath the neurosensory retina and between the RPE and the Bruch membrane, sparing the uveal tissue, similar to other metastatic T-cell lymphomas. Extensive RPE and photoreceptor loss in regions with and without underlying tumor was typical of a concurrent paraneoplastic lymphoma-associated retinopathy. CONCLUSION: Patients diagnosed with ENKTCL should be evaluated by an ophthalmologist, as ophthalmic involvement portends a poor prognosis.

CD163+ macrophages infiltrate axon bundles of postmortem optic nerves with glaucoma.

PURPOSE: Prior research in animal models has shown that macrophages and microglia play an important role in pathogenesis of glaucoma, but the phenotype and distribution of macrophages in human glaucomatous tissue have not been sufficiently characterized. METHODS: We analyzed H&E, CD68-, and CD163-immunostained slides from 25 formaldehyde-fixed, paraffin-embedded autopsy eyes: 12 control eyes and 13 eyes with glaucoma. The diagnosis of glaucoma was made based on a history of glaucoma as reported in the medical record and histological changes characteristic of glaucoma. Glaucoma cases and controls were matched in terms of age, sex, and race. RESULTS: Qualitative analysis of the conventional outflow pathway and the optic nerve revealed that all eyes contained CD163+ cells but a negligible number of CD68+ cells. CD163+ macrophages infiltrated the trabecular meshwork and surrounded Schlemm's canal of normal eyes and eyes with glaucoma, but the pattern was variable and qualitatively similar between groups. In optic nerves of control eyes, CD163+ macrophages were present at low levels and restricted to septa between axon bundles. In glaucomatous optic nerves, the number of CD163+ cells was increased both qualitatively and quantitatively (glaucoma 5.1 ± 0.6 CD163+ cells/mm2, control 2.5 ± 0.3 CD163+ cells/mm2, p < 0.001), with CD163+ cells infiltrating axon bundles in cases of both mild and severe diseases. CONCLUSIONS: The increase in CD163+ cell number in eyes with mild and severe glaucoma is the first demonstration of macrophage infiltration in glaucomatous human optic nerves. This finding supports a role for macrophages in glaucoma pathogenesis and progression.

Utility of Autopsy among Pediatric Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Recipients: One Last Chance to Learn?

Autopsy may confirm clinical diagnoses or identify conditions that were not suspected prior to a patient's death. Previous studies evaluating the utility of autopsy in hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients yielded conflicting results. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of children (<18 years of age) undergoing allogeneic HSCT at Duke University who died of any cause between January 1, 1995, and December 31, 2016. We evaluated associations between patient characteristics and autopsy performance using chi-square or Fisher exact tests. We reviewed autopsy reports to determine the concordance between preautopsy causes of death and pathological diagnoses identified on autopsy. We classified unexpected diagnoses on autopsy using criteria developed by Goldman et al. We evaluated for temporal changes in the autopsy consent rate and the frequency of unexpected diagnoses on autopsy using Cochran-Armitage tests. During the 22-year study period, 475 patients died and had data available on autopsy performance, and 130 (27%) of these patients underwent autopsy. The autopsy consent rate declined over time (P < .0001), with autopsies being performed for 40% of deaths in 1995 to 1999 and 17% of deaths in 2009 to 2016. White patients were more likely to undergo autopsy than nonwhite patients (P = .03). There were no associations between autopsy performance and patient age, sex, HSCT indication, or HSCT donor. Unexpected diagnoses were identified in 31 (24%) autopsies. The proportion of autopsies with an unexpected diagnosis did not change during the study period (P = .45). However, infectious diagnoses that would have led to a change in management were more frequently identified on autopsies in 1995 to 2003 than in 2004 to 2016 (20% versus 0%; P = .001). The autopsy consent rate for pediatric HSCT recipients at our institution has declined substantially over the past several decades. The utility of autopsy in this patient population remains high despite a reduction in the identification of unexpected infections.

Ocular involvement in neurolymphomatosis.

PURPOSE: To describe the ophthalmic symptoms and histopathological findings in a case of primary neurolymphomatosis (NL). OBSERVATIONS: A man in his 60s with a prior diagnosis of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy developed facial numbness, diplopia, drooling, and difficulty swallowing. Over a 3-month period, he developed total ptosis and ophthalmoplegia of the right eye with a dilated, non-reactive pupil considered secondary to cranial nerve III and VI palsies. His left pupil subsequently became non-reactive to light and accommodation, and extraocular motility of the left eye was partially limited in all directions of gaze without ptosis. Autopsy findings included primary NL, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma of activated B-cell subtype, involving right and left cranial nerves V, VI, IX, and X; spinal nerve roots; both femoral nerves; and extrascleral, intrascleral, and intraocular short and long posterior ciliary nerves with extension into the adjacent choroid of both eyes. No evidence of lymphoma was identified elsewhere in the body. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPORTANCE: Our patient is only the second histological demonstration of ciliary nerve involvement by NL, and the first, to our knowledge, of primary NL spreading secondarily from the ciliary nerves into the choroid. Our patient demonstrates that NL, though rare, should be included in the differential diagnosis of ocular cranial nerve palsies and ophthalmoplegia.

Solitary mastocytoma in the eyelid of an adult.

PURPOSE: To describe the ophthalmic symptoms and histopathological findings in a rare case of an eyelid mastocytoma in an adult. OBSERVATIONS: A man in his early 60s developed a painless, non-tender, non-pruritic, mobile nodule on the right lower eyelid beneath the inferior orbital rim. The lesion grew to 15 × 9 mm over eleven months. Biopsy revealed a diffuse infiltrate of histiocytoid and spindle-shaped mast cells forming cords and small nests between collagen fibers in the superficial and deep dermis. Mast cell lineage was confirmed by immunohistochemistry. Physical examination revealed no other cutaneous lesions and no evidence of systemic disease. Serum tryptase level was normal. Annual full-body examination by a dermatologist for 4.5 years has revealed neither recurrence in the eyelid nor cutaneous involvement at other sites. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPORTANCE: Mast cell tumors limited to the human eyelid are extremely uncommon with only four previously reported cases, including one in an adult. This case highlights the rare possibility of a solitary mastocytoma presenting in the eyelid of an adult.

Seminoma Metastatic to the Orbit.

PURPOSE: Seminomas are solid tumors in young men, but which rarely metastasize to the orbit. The authors review the known literature on seminoma metastatic to the orbit, and describe an additional case in a 33-year-old man. METHODS: A literature search was performed on the MEDLINE database using keywords "seminoma," "testicular germ-cell tumors," "testicular cancer," "testicular neoplasm," "orbital metastasis," and "germ-cell neoplasms." RESULTS: Malignant neoplasms of the testis account for only 1% of cancers in men. None-the-less, testicular germ cell seminoma is the most common solid tumor found in young men between the ages of 15 and 39. Only seven previous cases have been mentioned in the literature. The pathogenesis remains unclear although genetic, environmental, and maternal factors may play a role. The number of cases is too few to determine the best treatment options, but surgical excision and adjunctive orbital radiotherapy appear to be most appropriate. CONCLUSIONS: Although metastases to the orbit are rare, seminoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of all young men with proptosis.

Adenocarcinoma of Pigmented Ciliary Epithelium in a Child With Aicardi Syndrome and Congenital Microphthalmia With Cyst.

A 5-year-old girl with Aicardi syndrome and microphthalmia with cyst of the OD presented with progressive enlargement of the cyst causing pain. Microophthalmia with inferior cyst (35 × 25 × 12 mm) was noted at birth, and Aicardi syndrome was diagnosed at 10 months by the presence of the classic triad of callosal agenesis, infantile spasms, and chorioretinal lacunae. She underwent enucleation with cyst resection, and subsequent reconstruction with a dermis fat graft. Histopathologic study revealed adenocarcinoma of the pigmented ciliary epithelium. Full-body metastatic workup was negative. Adenocarcinoma of the pigmented ciliary epithelium is an extremely rare eye tumor with only 4 documented cases in the literature, none arising in a microophthalmic eye with cyst. Aicardi syndrome is also a rare disease that has been associated with increased incidence of malignancy and ocular abnormalities, but has never been described in association with microophthalmia with cyst or with adenocarcinoma of the pigmented ciliary epithelium. Herein, the authors present a review of the case and relevant literature.