Subconjunctival Hemorrhage in a Child with the Blue Rubber Bleb Nevus Syndrome on Treatment with Oral Propranolol

Abstract

Blue rubber bleb nevus syndrome (BRBNS) is a rare syndrome characterized by venous malformations of mostly skin and gastrointestinal tract. Patients present with multiple venous malformations in various organs including liver, spleen, heart, eye, and central nervous system. Few ophthalmological cases have been published in literature and at present, there are no clear guidelines on the treatment of eye hemorrhages associated with the BRBNS. We report a 3-year-old boy with the BRBNS who developed a spontaneous progressive enlarging subconjunctival hemorrhage in the left eye despite being treated with oral propranolol. The subconjunctival hemorrhage was caused by an underlying conjunctival vascular malformation. With topical treatment with timolol maleate 0.5% once a day in the affected eye, the lesion regressed completely after 4 months. This child represents the first case of the BRBNS associated with a subconjunctival progressive bleeding necessitating topical treatment despite oral propranolol effectively controlling the cutaneous lesions. We recommend ophthalmic screening of patients with BRBNS in early childhood. For patients with BRBNS-related subconjunctival vascular lesions with subsequent hemorrhage, treatment with a topical β-blocker may be an efficient and harmless treatment option.

Keywords

• blue rubber bleb nevus syndrome
• subconjunctival hemorrhage
• topical β-blocker
• case report