[An adult case of congenital Horner's syndrome with heterochromia iridis--with special reference to alteration of Horner's sign associated with development].

It is well known that when the Horner's syndrome is congenital, a defect in pigmentation of the iris is usual; all or part of the iris remains light brown. We reported an adult case of congenital Horner's syndrome with remission and relapse of unilateral ptosis. A 25-year-old man was admitted to our hospital for ophthalmologic surgical treatment of right ptosis. According to the patient's mother, the patient was delivered with the aid of forceps at birth, and the right ptosis was observed during the first few days of his life. At 2 to 3 years of age, his parents noted lighter color of the right eye. The right ptosis was gradually improved as he grew older. However, he developed right ptosis again with left meralgia paresthesia since eighteen age. At age 25 years, he was noted to have right ptosis, right miosis (the left pupil measured 4.5 mm in diameter and the right 3.0 mm), right heterochromia iridis with pigmented iris nevi, and left meralgia paresthesia . Laboratory data of urine, blood and CSF as well as radiological studies of chest X-ray, skull X-ray, spine X-ray, brain MRI and spinal cord MRI showed unremarkable. Sweating test was intact, pharmacologic test to Horner's syndrome with 5% cocaine and 1.25% 1-epinephrine indicated that the damage was pointed to the post ganglionic sympathetic neuron. Ten patients with congenital Horner's syndrome reported in Japan since 1953 were reviewed including our case. Ten of eleven were male and Horner's sign was recorded on the left eye in 8 cases.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)