Intra-abdominal cystic lymphangioma of the mesocolon sigmoids: a rare entity in adult patient woman

Our plain-English summary of Intra-abdominal cystic lymphangioma of the mesocolon sigmoids: a rare entity in adult patient woman, by A. Guachilema Ribadeneira, Á.R.T. Monard, M.C. Endara, et al (Journal of Surgical Case Reports, 2020).

The study

• Authors: A. Guachilema Ribadeneira, Á.R.T. Monard, M.C. Endara, C.G. Garcia, M.O. Sandoval, D.A. Cárdenas, A.D. Basantes
• Journal: Journal of Surgical Case Reports
• Published: 2020;2020(5):rjaa031
• Type of article: Case report
• Cited by: 5 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

The lymphangioma is a benign neoplasm, mostly connate, it occurs more often in children. It is more frequently located in the head-neck region, as well as in the armpit, and less frequently in the abdomen. The diagnosis, as well as their appearance is variant, they can be asymptomatic depending on the size. The signs on the physical exam are usually nonspecific and can look like an acute abdomen. Imaging tests used are the ultrasound and tomography, which determine the therapeutic behavior. The differential diagnosis should be made with other intra-abdominal injuries, such as cavernous hemangioma, mesotheliomas, pancreatic and ovarian tumors and even peritoneal hydatid cyst. The definitive treatment is surgical in most cases, with complete excision of the mass. The definitive diagnosis is obtained with the histopathological study of the surgical piece.

Published by Oxford University Press and JSCR Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved. © The Author(s) 2020.

In plain English

This case report described one 60-year-old woman with a cystic lymphangioma, a benign growth of the lymph vessels. Hers grew from the mesentery (the tissue holding the bowel in place) of the sigmoid colon. The article does not discuss asbestos. Mesotheliomas appear only as background, as a condition to rule out and in remarks on how such tumors behave and are classified. The woman had five years of on-and-off left-sided abdominal pain, with nausea and occasional vomiting. Her blood tests, including tumor markers CEA and CA125, were normal. A CT scan suggested a mesenteric cyst. Surgeons found a clear cystic mass about 15 cm across. It was attached to, but not growing into, the colon's outer layer, and they removed it completely while preserving the colon's blood supply. She was eating the next day and went home on the third day without complications. Laboratory examination of the mass, which measured 11 by 8.2 by 7.6 cm, confirmed a cystic lymphangioma. The authors concluded that the location and the patient's sex made the case unusually rare.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: case report (single patient)
• Who was studied: One 60-year-old woman, referred to the authors' center from another health care center; the authors are based in Quito, Ecuador; no dates given
• Main results:
  • The patient had 5 years of sporadic abdominal pain in the left flank, radiating to the lower back, with nausea and occasional vomiting
  • Laboratory tests, including the tumor markers CEA and CA125, were within normal ranges
  • CT scanning showed an oval image in the left flank suggestive of a mesenteric cyst
  • At surgery, a translucent cystic mass of about 15 cm in diameter was found, arising from the mesentery of the sigmoid colon, attached to but not infiltrating the serosa; it was removed without devascularizing the colon
  • The patient started eating the next day and was discharged on the third day without complications
  • Histopathology showed a cystic mass of 11 by 8.2 by 7.6 cm containing clear liquid; staining showed no mucin, confirming cystic lymphangioma
  • Mesotheliomas were mentioned only as background, not as a finding in this patient: among conditions to distinguish from lymphangioma, in a remark that benign mesotheliomas may be more aggressive than simple cysts, and in a classification listing benign and malignant cystic mesothelioma among lesions of mesothelial origin
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that the tumor's origin in the sigmoid mesocolon, in a female patient, made this case notably rare; they also state that definitive treatment is usually surgical with complete excision, and that definitive diagnosis comes from histopathology

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Neoplasm, Ultrasound, Differential Diagnosis, Mesothelioma.

Related studies

• Giant Omental Lymphangioma Presenting With Abdominal Pain and Intra-Cystic Hemorrhage in an Adult: A Case Report — R. Hashizume, H. Imai, et al. (2026)
• Benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma: a rare cause of intra-abdominal cystic disease — B. Campbell, D. Mehanna, et al. (2017)
• Imaging features, complications and differential diagnoses of abdominal cystic lymphangiomas — M. Raufaste Tistet, O. Ernst, et al. (2020)
• Differentiating a large abdominal cystic lymphangioma from multicystic mesothelioma: report of a case — H. Nagata, Y. Yonemura, et al. (2014)
• An entity that should be kept in mind: Synchronous gastrointestinal stromal tumor encountered in resection materials obtained for the detection of intra-abdominal malignancies — S.S. Erhan, G. Kulduk, et al. (2023)
• Intra-Operative Diagnosis of Benign Multicystic Peritoneal Mesothelioma: A Case Report of Rare Entity and Lessons Learned — C.C. Wu, A. Bassi, et al. (2024)

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