{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,20]],"date-time":"2026-05-20T15:59:29Z","timestamp":1779292769140,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":7,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,21]],"date-time":"2025-10-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1761004800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Med."],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Background<\/jats:title><jats:p>We report a case of varix of the vortex vein ampulla (VVVA) in the right eye. VVVA is relatively rare and often presents as a fundus mass-like lesion during clinical examination, making it easily confused with choroidal tumors. This case report aims to improve ophthalmologists\u2019 understanding of this rare lesion and provide a reference for clinical diagnosis and management.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Case presentation<\/jats:title><jats:p>A 29-year-old male presented with 1\u202fmonth of decreased vision in the right eye. His best-corrected visual acuity was 20\/20. B-scan ultrasonography and optical coherence tomography (OCT) revealed a choroidal space-occupying lesion. Fundus examination identified a deep red elevated mass at the inferotemporal VVVA of the right eye. Further indocyanine green (ICG) angiography confirmed VVVA. The mass became more prominent when the patient gazed downward with the right eye. After applying pressure to the eye, follow-up B-scan and OCT showed the mass had disappeared or reduced\u2014findings that strongly confirmed the lesion was VVVA rather than a choroidal tumor.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>VVVA is an uncommon condition. This case reminds ophthalmologists to consider less common causes when evaluating choroidal mass-like lesions. Accurate diagnosis of VVVA is critical to avoid misdiagnosis as a choroidal tumor and unnecessary invasive testing or treatment. Recognition of this benign condition can prevent misdiagnosis as a choroidal tumor and unnecessary invasive testing.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fmed.2025.1685952","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,21]],"date-time":"2025-10-21T05:36:40Z","timestamp":1761025000000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Varix of the vortex vein ampulla: a case report and imaging correlation"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Tong-tong","family":"Niu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Yun","family":"Xiao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"530","DOI":"10.1016\/j.oret.2019.11.009","article-title":"Distribution and location of vortex vein ampullae in healthy human eyes as assessed by ultra-widefield indocyanine green angiography","volume":"4","author":"Verma","year":"2020","journal-title":"Ophthalmol Retina"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"bcr0820103223","DOI":"10.1136\/bcr.08.2010.3223","article-title":"Multiple vortex vein ampulla varicosities","volume":"2010","author":"Vahdani","year":"2010","journal-title":"BMJ Case Rep"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"260","DOI":"10.1097\/ICB.0000000000000575","article-title":"Multimodal imaging in vortex vein varices","volume":"13","author":"Veronese","year":"2019","journal-title":"Retin Cases Brief Rep"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1571","DOI":"10.1136\/bjo-2023-324712","article-title":"Acute spontaneous vortex vein occlusion: clinical features, multimodal imaging and natural course","volume":"108","author":"Xue","year":"2024","journal-title":"Br J Ophthalmol"},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e63668","DOI":"10.7759\/cureus.63668","article-title":"Different vortex vein anomalies observed in a single case: macular vortex vein in one eye and varix of vortex vein ampulla in the other eye","volume":"16","author":"Nitta","year":"2024","journal-title":"Cureus"},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"81","DOI":"10.17116\/oftalma202213804181","article-title":"Varikoznoe rasshirenie vortikoznykh ven (klinicheskie nablyudeniya) [Vortex vein varix (clinical observations)]","volume":"138","author":"Suetov","year":"2022","journal-title":"Vestn oftalmol"},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"607","DOI":"10.1016\/s0002-9394(14)70701-9","article-title":"Varix of the vortex ampulla simulating a choroidal melanoma","volume":"109","author":"Buettner","year":"1990","journal-title":"Am J Ophthalmol"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Medicine"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fmed.2025.1685952\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,21]],"date-time":"2025-10-21T05:36:41Z","timestamp":1761025001000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fmed.2025.1685952\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,21]]},"references-count":7,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fmed.2025.1685952"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fmed.2025.1685952","relation":{},"ISSN":["2296-858X"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2296-858X","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,21]]},"article-number":"1685952"}}