Cavernous sinus syndrome as the presentation of malignant lymphoma: case report and review of the literature

Abstract

Cavernous sinus syndrome (CSS) is an unusual presentation of malignant lymphoma. We report a patient with lymphoma that presented with CSS, and we review the literature on nine other reported cases. Sharp retroorbital pain, paraesthesia around the orbit, and complete 6th nerve palsy were dominant presenting symptoms. In all cases, the tumor developed on the right side. The computed tomographic scan was abnormal in only two of the nine patients during the early stages of the disease. The dominant histological type was large cell lymphoma. The mean age of the patients was 45 years. The mean survival time after the first presenting symptom was 8.7 months. Two of the reported patients as well as our patient had disseminated disease, which became evident at autopsy.