PURPOSE: To report two cases of a cystic isolated extraocular muscle abscess in a young boy. METHOD: Case report. RESULTS: Two cases of young boys with a cystic isolated extraocular muscle abscess are described. Each presented as an inflammatory lesion in the orbit that had been stable for approximately three weeks. Neurodiagnostic imaging of the two cases revealed a cystic lesion in close proximity to an extraocular muscle. An ultrasound-guided aspiration of each lesion revealed material that, when cultured, grew Staphylococcus aureus. Both patients recovered with appropriate antibiotic therapy. No other systemic illness could be identified in either case. CONCLUSION: These cases illustrate that an isolated abscess involving an extraocular muscle may present like an inflammatory cyst even without any evidence of systemic illness. When evaluating and managing such lesions, the authors recommend the use of ultrasound-guided aspiration to avoid complications arising from delay in diagnosis and inappropriate treatment.
PURPOSE: To report two cases of a cystic isolated extraocular muscle abscess in a young boy. METHOD: Case report. RESULTS: Two cases of young boys with a cystic isolated extraocular muscle abscess are described. Each presented as an inflammatory lesion in the orbit that had been stable for approximately three weeks. Neurodiagnostic imaging of the two cases revealed a cystic lesion in close proximity to an extraocular muscle. An ultrasound-guided aspiration of each lesion revealed material that, when cultured, grew Staphylococcus aureus. Both patients recovered with appropriate antibiotic therapy. No other systemic illness could be identified in either case. CONCLUSION: These cases illustrate that an isolated abscess involving an extraocular muscle may present like an inflammatory cyst even without any evidence of systemic illness. When evaluating and managing such lesions, the authors recommend the use of ultrasound-guided aspiration to avoid complications arising from delay in diagnosis and inappropriate treatment.