A 4-month-old child born at term gestation presented with a mucocutaneous outgrowth from the medial canthus of the left eye present since birth. There was serous discharge from this tube. In addition there was complete absence of left nostril (Fig. 1). A clinical diagnosis of proboscis lateralis was made. CT scan of the region revealed the presence of arachnoid cyst.

Fig. 1. Proboscis lateralis and complete absence of left nostril.

Proboscis lateralis is a rare facial anomaly (1:100,000 birth) resulting in incomplete formation of nose, the eye and adenexa. It consists of a soft, trunk like process that originates from the medial portion of the orbit roof. It is often associated with other malformations of facial region including abnormality of eye and lacrymal system and facial bone formation. It is hypothesized that each nostril develops separately and fuses at a later stage to form the nose.This can explain anomaly seen in this condition. Antenatal diagnosis of this condition is possible by detection of finger like projection in area of the eye.

Anoop Verma,
Nirved Jain,
Swapnil Nursing Home & Research Center,
Civil Lines, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India.
E-mail: [email protected]