Lacrimal gland ductal cyst complicated by abscess formation

A 52-year-old woman with a 7-month history of a left lateral upper eyelid nodule presented with an acute, 1-day history of left upper eyelid swelling and erythema associated with chemosis, epiphora, and pain. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging revealed a well-circumscribed cystic mass indistinguishable from the left lacrimal gland containing a fluid-fluid level. Surgery confirmed an abscess within the lacrimal gland; histopathologic examination revealed a dilated lacrimal duct with an inflammatory exudate within the lumen. This report details one of the few reported cases of an acute lacrimal gland ductal cyst abscess and, to the authors' knowledge, the first with MR images.