Abstract
The caruncle (from Latin caro = flesh) is a soft, fleshy, ovoid structure present at the medial canthal angle between the lower and upper eyelid puncta, medial to the plica semilunaris. The caruncle is composed of nonkeratinized stratified squamous epithelium and with goblet cells and hair follicles, sebaceous glands, sweat glands, accessory lacrimal glands, and adipose tissue. The superior medial palpebral arteries feed the caruncle, its lymphatics drain into the submandibular lymph nodes, and it is innervated by the infratrochlear nerve [1, 2]. The function is poorly understood, but it is thought to assist in lacrimal drainage by transmitting contractions of the orbicularis to the canaliculi and lacrimal sac.
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Wells, J.R., Grossniklaus, H.E. (2014). Caruncular Tumors. In: Pe'er, J., Singh, A. (eds) Clinical Ophthalmic Oncology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-38336-6_20
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-38336-6_20
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