The clinical and pathological characteristics of 14 cases of primary iris stromal cysts

Abstract

To analysis the clinical and pathological characteristics of primary iris stromal cyst. Retrospective cases series study. 14 cases of primary iris stromal cyst which were treated in Tianjin Eye Hospital from Jan.1979 to Dec. 2012 were collected. They were all proved by pathological results. Their clinical and pathological features were analyzed. The age of 14 patients were 5 months to 50 years old, the median is 10 years old.10 patients (71.4%) were attacked from children or adolescence, among which onset age of 8 patients were less than 1-year-old. 4 patients (28.6%) occurs when they were adults. 10 cases were female and 4 cases were males. 10 cases were left eyes, 4 cases were right eyes. All cases were unilateral involvement. In these cases, 11 cases appeared as a single translucent or gray-white cystic mass on the iris surface, which 6 cases located in the inferior aspect of the iris, 2 cases appeared with diffused iris cyst and another 1 case's cyst was found occasionally in the eyeball enucleating specimen. 8 cases had corneal opacity or leucoma, 7 cases had secondary glaucoma, and 3 cases had complicated cataract. Pathological features showed: cysts located on the iris surface or in the stroma layer. The cysts of 9 cases were constructed of non-cuticular stratified squamous epithelium cells. 3 cases' cysts were constructed of lens epithelium cells and lens capsular analogical tissues, and the cysts adhesion to the lenstightly. The other 2 cysts were constructed of single or stratified epithelium cells, similar to ciliary epithelium cells. 2 cases complicated with crystalline lens dysplasia, 3 cases complicated with iris tissue dysplasia, 2 cases complicated with ciliary cysts and 1 case had chamber angle dysplasia. Primary iris stoma cyst is rare and it usually occurs in infant, more often in the children less than 1-year-old. Pathological examination showed that most of the cysts originated from the conjunctivaepithelium, minority cysts originated from crystalline lens epithelium or ciliary epithelium. Some cases complicated with iris, ciliary or crystalline lens malformation.