Abstract
Blepharoptosis is the drooping or inferior displacement of the upper eyelid. Blepharoptosis can be either congenital or acquired. Tumour metastasis is one of the acquired causes of blepharoptosis. The lungs, locoregional lymph nodes, bone and liver are the usual sites of metastases of renal cell carcinoma (RCC); however, unusual locations of RCC have also been reported. Herein, we describe a case of a 47-year-old man with unilateral ptosis and blurred vision due to metastatic RCC. We describe the different causes of blepharopstosis, the path that led to the diagnosis, and how RCC can metastasize to unusual anatomical regions such as the orbit. Symptoms such as exophthalmos, lid edema, diplopia, ptosis, cranial nerve paralysis or blurred vision may mime a benign disease; however, they could also be the symptoms of a systemic malignancy.
Highlights
Blepharoptosis is the drooping or inferior displacement of the upper eyelid [1]
Congenital ptosis, which is an anomaly of the muscle elevator development, is unilateral in 69% of cases, but can be symmetrical or asymmetrical bilateral [4]
We present a case of a 47-year-old man who presented with unilateral ptosis and blurred vision, due to a repetitive lesion that stemmed from metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC)
Summary
Blepharoptosis (or simple ptosis) is the drooping or inferior displacement of the upper eyelid [1]. Among non-mechanical acquired ptosis, we distinguish the following categories: myogenic (chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia, myotonic dystrophy and oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy), neuromuscular (myasthenia gravis and botulism), neurogenic (Horner’s syndrome, oculomotor paresis, Miller–Fisher syndrome and ophthalmoplegic migraine) and cerebral (especially right hemisphere lesions) [5]. Another cause of ptosis is tumour metastasis. A 47-year-old man was admitted to the Unit of Diagnostic Imaging Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma for a brain magnetic resonance imaging examination He was referred to our hospital because of narrowing of the left eyelid. The patient was subsequently followed up in another hospital for management
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