Foreign Body Episcleral Granulomas Complicating Intravitreal Silicone Oil Tamponade: a Clinicopathological Study

Purpose: To report two patients with lipid granulomas of the episclera complicating vitrectomy and silicone oil tamponade.

Design: Two observational case reports.

Intervention: Patient 1, a 41-year-old woman, underwent vitrectomy with silicone oil tamponade for proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Four weeks later, she sought treatment for inflamed episcleral nodules adjacent to one of the sclerostomy sites. The oil was removed and the episcleral nodules were excised. Patient 2, a 33-year-old man, underwent vitrectomy and silicone oil tamponade for tractional retinal detachment. He experienced a painful blind eye with episcleral nodule that required enucleation.

Main Outcome Measures: On histopathological analysis, both specimens demonstrated episcleral granulomas caused by silicone oil.

Conclusions: Episcleral nodules adjacent to vitrectomy entry sites with silicone oil tamponade may represent lipid granulomas, probably caused by silicone oil leakage from scleral entry ports.