Juvenile xanthogranuloma of the orbit in an adult.

We present a case of juvenile xanthogranuloma (JXG) with unilateral involvement of the orbit and eyelid and proptosis, histologically confirmed in a 32-year-old man with a 1-year history of a pansinusitis and dacryoadenitis with rhinitis. Nine months later an infiltration of the anterior upper part of the right orbit and right eyelid appeared. Computed tomography scan and magnetic resonance imaging studies confirmed the presence of pansinusitis and infiltration. The patient underwent a blepharoplasty and excision of the infiltrated tissues of the orbit, eyelid, and levator muscle. Hematoxylin-eosin and immunohistochemical studies revealed features consistent with a diagnosis of JXG (Touton giant cells). JXG, a non-Langerhans'-type benign proliferation, is a rare condition in adulthood. Copyright 2000 S. Karger AG, Basel.