Extraocular muscle involvement in sarcoidosis.

BACKGROUND

Sarcoidosis is a granulomatous inflammatory disease that may have a variety of ocular and orbital manifestations. The most common ocular manifestation is uveitis, and the most common orbital manifestation is dacryoadenitis. Extraocular muscle involvement in sarcoidosis has rarely been reported. The authors report a case of sarcoidosis involving the extraocular muscles of a 15-year-old boy with bilateral, painful, external ophthalmoplegia and enlargement of all extraocular muscles on computed tomography (CT) scan.

RESULTS

Lateral rectus muscle biopsy and transbronchial lung biopsy showed noncaseating granulomas characteristic of sarcoidosis. Cultures and serologic studies excluded fungal and mycobacterial diseases. Treatment with oral corticosteroids improved symptoms and signs.

CONCLUSIONS

The authors report the first case of sarcoidosis in a patient with symptomatic extraocular muscle involvement, and only the third case in which extraocular muscle involvement has been shown histologically.