Eyelid varix with phlebolith formation, thrombus recanalization, and early intravascular papillary endothelial hyperplasia.

An asymptomatic, bluish-gray, movable, raised, and firm left upper eyelid mass had been present for 8 months in an 82-year-old woman. Histopathologic examination revealed a lesion restricted to the dermis and composed in part of a calcific nodule that was circumscribed by an acellular fibrous capsule. An adjacent nodule exhibited proliferating endothelial cells invading a fresh thrombus. Immunohistochemical staining revealed positivity for CD31, CD34, and CD68; D2-40 was negative, ruling out a lymphatic origin. Masson trichrome and elastic staining of deeper sections revealed recanalization of an earlier thrombus; surviving elastic fibers were discovered in the outer wall, establishing a venous source. This is the first reported case of 3 microscopically discernible events (old phlebolith, fresh intravascular endothelial hyperplasia invading a thrombus, and labyrinthine recanalization of a temporally more remote thrombus) in an eyelid varix. The clinical differential diagnosis is reviewed.