Postural changes revealing orbital venous malformation using ultrasound in blue rubber bleb nevus syndrome

ABSTRACT

A 62-year-old white woman presented with a diagnosis of blue rubber bleb nevus syndrome (BRBNS). The right eye appeared enophthalmic, yet the patient complained of episodes of right proptosis on bending forward. The remainder of the examination was unremarkable. Orbital ultrasound (US) in an upright posture revealed a single low reflectivity cavity (4.27 mm x 2.82 mm) of uncertain interpretation. In a forward-leaning posture the lesion increased in size (maximum thickness of 13.72 mm), demonstrating multiple low reflectivity spaces with highly reflective septae. This case first reports the use of US with postural changes to assess the presence of orbital venous malformation in BRBNS. The expansile nature upon postural changes supports the venous origin of the orbital lesion.

KEYWORDS:

• Blue rubber bleb nevus syndrome
• orbit
• proptosis
• ultrasounds
• vascular malformation

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.