Fulminant orbital inflammatory syndrome in a patient with relapsing polychondritis: case report and review of the literature.

We describe a 75-year-old woman with rapid onset orbital inflammatory syndrome as her initial manifestation of relapsing polychondritis. Patient presented after the development of right eyelid swelling, erythema, and proptosis over a 48-hour period. Visual acuity was 20/30 in both eyes. Intraocular pressure was elevated in her right eye along with severe restriction of extraocular motility. Magnetic resonance imaging of the orbits revealed thickened right medial and inferior recti muscles. Serologic laboratory data was unrevealing. Patient demonstrated marked improvement within 12 hours of administration of intravenous corticosteroids. She was symptom-free after 1 week. A diagnosis of relapsing polychondritis was confirmed 3 weeks later after new onset complaints of right ear pain and a rash.