Respiratory epithelium in a cystic choristoma of the limbus

T. L. Young, E. R. Buchi, L. M. Kaufman, J. Sugar and M. O. Tso
Department of Ophthalmology, University of Illinois, Chicago College of Medicine 60612.

A female newborn had a cystic, whitish gray mass at the inferotemporal limbus of the left eye. At age 3 weeks, the newborn underwent excision of the tumor, corneal patch grafting, and superior sector optical iridectomy. Histopathologic and electron microscopic examination of the excised tissue revealed a choristoma consisting of cysts lined with respiratory epithelium. To our knowledge, respiratory epithelium in a limbal choristoma has not been previously reported.