Ophthalmic Manifestations of Rosai-Dorfman Disease in Five Patients

To report clinical features, pathology characteristics, and treatment outcomes of five patients with Rosai-Dorfman disease (RDD).

A retrospective case series of patients with RDD from the Ocular Oncology Service of Wills Eye Hospital between 1974 and 2018.

There were six eyes of five patients (3 males, 2 females) with ophthalmic manifestations of RDD. The mean age at the initial presentation was 33 years (median 35, range 10–52 years). Before referral, the tumor was initially suspected to be lymphoma (n = 3), idiopathic orbital inflammation (n = 2), or pterygium (n = 1). The disease was unilateral (n = 4) or bilateral (n = 1). The mean duration of symptoms was 9 months (median 8, range 5–24 months). The disease produced nodules in the conjunctiva (n = 4) or orbit (n = 2). Two patients with conjunctival involvement had corneal involvement. One patient with bilateral conjunctiva lesions demonstrated bilateral orbital involvement and bilateral anterior uveitis. The mean tumor basal dimension was 13 mm (median 9, range 6–27 mm) for conjunctiva lesions and 37 mm (median 37, range 34–40 mm) for orbital lesions. The main symptom (per patient) included proptosis (n = 2), palpable mass (n = 1), and foreign body sensation (n = 2). No patient experienced pain or tenderness. Palpable, nontender lymphadenopathy was detectable in two patients in the cervical and inguinal lymph nodes. Systemic involvement with paranasal sinusitis and mediastinal/pulmonary lymphadenopathy occurred in two patients, both with orbital involvement. Surgical resection was performed for all patients. At a mean follow-up of 31 months (median 12, range, 10–76 months) after the surgery, tumor control was achieved in all six eyes without local recurrence.

In this series of six eyes with RDD, patients with orbital and/or intraocular disease were more likely to demonstrate lymphadenopathy and systemic involvement, while those with unilateral perilimbal conjunctival tumors remained localized.