Pyogenic granuloma of the cornea: report of a case and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND

Pyogenic granulomas are ulcerated vascular proliferations, often accompanied by inflammatory infiltrates, which rarely affect the eye. Only few reports on pyogenic granulomas of the cornea have been presented.

METHODS

The enucleated globe containing the corneal tumor was examined histopathologically, and special immunohistochemical stains were performed.

RESULTS

The lesion had a yellowish appearance with marked vascularization. The inflammatory infiltrate was mainly composed of mononuclear cells, with no multinucleated giant cells, and was located anterior to Bowman's layer, leaving the corneal stroma unaffected. Immunohistochemical studies outlined the high vascular content, even in dense cellular areas, and confirmed the inflammatory nature of the mononuclear infiltrates.

CONCLUSIONS

Pyogenic granuloma of the cornea represents a clinical and morphological entity developing in a traumatized eye with corneal vascularization. Although the origin of these lesions remains obscure, there have been no signs of malignancy. Therefore, enucleation of an eye with a pyogenic granuloma should be avoided.