Sight-threatening optic neuropathy is associated with paranasal lymphoma

Abstract

Takahiko Hayashi1, Ken Watanabe2, Yukio Tsuura3, Gengo Tsuji4, Shingo Koyama4, Jun Yoshigi4, Naoko Hirata1, Shin Yamane1, Yasuhito Iizima5, Shigeo Toyota6, Satoshi Takeuchi11Department of Ophthalmology, Yokosuka Kyosai Hospital, Japan; 2Department of Hematology, Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Japan; 3Department of Pathology, Yokosuka Kyosai Hospital, Japan; 4Department of Radiology, Yokosuka Kyosai Hospital, Japan; 5Department of Ophthalmology, Yokohama City University, Japan; 6Department of Internal Medicine, Yokosuka Kyosai Hospital, JapanAbstract: Malignant lymphoma around the orbit is very rare. We present a rare case of optic neuropathy caused by lymphoma. A 61-year-old Japanese woman was referred to our hospital for evaluation of idiopathic optic neuropathy affecting her right eye. The patient was treated with steroid pulse therapy (methyl-predonisolone 1 g daily for 3 days) with a presumed diagnosis of idiopathic optic neuritis. After she had been switched to oral steroid therapy, endoscopic sinus surgery had been performed, which revealed diffuse large B cell lymphoma of the ethmoidal sinus. Although R-CHOP therapy was immediately started, prolonged optic nerve compression resulted in irreversible blindness. Accordingly, patients with suspected idiopathic optic neuritis should be carefully assessed when they show a poor response, and imaging of the orbits and brain should always be done for initial diagnosis because they may have compression by a tumor.Keywords: optic neuropathy, malignant lymphoma, paranasal lymphoma, rhinogenic optic neuropathy