Primary localized conjunctival amyloidosis: A case report with a ten-year follow-up period

Juan Carlos Mesa-Gutiérrez, Tomás Martí Huguet, Noemí Barnils Garcia, Jorge Arruga Ginebreda

Department of Ophthalmology, Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain

Abstract: A 57-year-old woman consulted our department about a plaque that had been present in her left eye for one year. Ophthalmological examination revealed a solid mass in the left conjunctival semilunar fold. An excitional biopsy was peformed, revealing an amyloid deposition. The patient was referred to the Internal Medicine Department for systemic study. All studies were negative for systemic amyloidosis. Throughout ten years of follow-up study, the patient has shown neither conjunctival recurrence nor any evidence of systemic amylodosis. Despite the fact that several authors have described ocular amyloidosis as an ophthalmologic manifestation of systemic amyloidosis, conjunctival location of amyloidosis is a very rare condition. Amyloid characterization in ocular structures should not be considered a final diagnosis since involvement of systemic underlying diseases must be ruled out. We report a case of localized conjunctival amyloidosis with a ten-year follow-up period that excluded ocular or systemic diseases.

Keywords: conjuctival amyloidosis, ocular amyloidosis, hyaline protein