Cutaneous leishmaniasis of the lid

We report 3 cases of patients presenting with lid cutaneous leishmaniasis in which clinical presentation was a true diagnostic problem. The patients were 3 women aged 46, 36, and 60 years. The first patient presented with an ulceration of the superior eyelid that had been treated as chalazion. The second patient had a chronic lesion of the eyelid, present for 1 year, fitting the criteria for tuberculosis, syphilis, or sarcoidosis. The last patient had an erosive lesion of the internal canthus, which was suspicious of basal cell carcinoma. The presence of other cutaneous lesions and the chronic progression led to a biopsy for anatomopathology and parasitology analysis. These analyses confirmed the diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis. The patients were then treated with antimony derivatives. Progression of the disease was marked by the appearance of a pigmented nonretractile scar. The different clinical characteristics, epidemiology, and treatment of this affection are reviewed.