Loose mesothelial cysts in the peritoneal cavity

Our plain-English summary of Loose mesothelial cysts in the peritoneal cavity, by Y. Ramirez, J. Rosai, J.J. Segura (International Journal of Surgical Pathology, 2010).

The study

• Authors: Y. Ramirez, J. Rosai, J.J. Segura
• Journal: International Journal of Surgical Pathology
• Published: 2010;18(3):214-6
• Type of article: Case report
• Cited by: 4 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Summary of the article

This short illustrated article described loose (free-floating) mesothelial cysts of the peritoneal cavity. The authors presented them as one form of multilocular peritoneal inclusion cysts (MPICs), a condition also called multicystic mesothelioma of the peritoneum or (benign) cystic mesothelioma. Drawing on earlier reports, they described the lesion as uncommon and generally occurring in women of reproductive age, with isolated cases in males. They said it may cause intra-abdominal masses or pelvic pain, or no symptoms, and that most patients have a history of previous abdominal surgery, pelvic inflammatory disease or endometriosis. They noted that some authors view MPICs as a reactive process, while others regard them as a neoplastic disease between adenomatoid tumor and malignant mesothelioma. The images came from a 37-year-old woman. During her Cesarean section, the surgeon found a "jelly-like substance" floating in the pelvis. The figures showed a multiloculated cyst with a translucent wall and septa, cysts lined by a single layer of low cuboidal cells, an area of slightly reactive mesothelial cells, and positive staining for cytokeratin 5/6 in the lining cells. The authors listed a differential diagnosis that included malignant mesothelioma. They stated that treatment is surgical resection for focal lesions and debulking for extensive ones, and that floating cysts are simply "fished out" from the fluid.

PubMed has no abstract for this study, and the article doesn't print one. We wrote this summary from the full article with the help of AI. It is not the authors' wording.

In plain English

This short article was a case report presented mainly through four pathology images from a single patient. The patient was a 37-year-old woman who underwent a Cesarean section, during which the surgeon found what was described as a "jelly-like substance" floating in the pelvis. The images showed a cyst with many compartments, a see-through wall and internal dividing walls (septa). They also showed cyst spaces lined by a single layer of low cuboidal cells, an area where the lining mesothelial cells looked slightly reactive, and positive staining for the marker cytokeratin 5/6 in the mesothelial cells lining the cyst spaces. The authors presented the case as an example of free-floating mesothelial cysts in the peritoneal cavity. Drawing on earlier literature, they described such loose cysts as regarded as a form of multilocular peritoneal inclusion cysts. That condition is also called multicystic mesothelioma of the peritoneum or (benign) cystic mesothelioma. The article did not mention asbestos or any other exposure, and it did not report the patient's treatment or follow-up.

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 (pathology images of one patient) with a brief background description drawn from earlier literature
• Who was studied: One 37-year-old woman, in whom the cysts were found during a Cesarean section; no location or date of the case is given
• Exposure: Not reported; the article does not mention asbestos or any other exposure
• Main results:
  • At surgery, the surgeon found what was described as a jelly-like substance floating in the pelvis of this patient
  • The gross specimen from this patient was a cyst with many compartments, a see-through wall and septa
  • Under the microscope, the cyst had many compartments and was lined by a single layer of low cuboidal cells
  • One area showed a slightly reactive covering of mesothelial cells
  • The mesothelial cells lining the cyst spaces stained positive for cytokeratin 5/6
  • Background, from earlier literature and not a finding of this case: the condition is also known as multicystic mesothelioma of the peritoneum and (benign) cystic mesothelioma

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Peritoneal Cavity, Multicystic Mesothelioma (MCM), Peritoneum, Mesothelioma, Adenomatoid Tumor, Malignant Mesothelioma, Reactive Mesothelial Cells, Cytokeratin 5/6.

Related studies

• Benign multicystic mesothelioma and peritoneal inclusion cysts: are they the same clinical and histopathological entities? A systematic review to find an evidence-based management — A.M.C. Rapisarda, A. Cianci, et al. (2018)
• Collagenous Spherulosis in Well-Differentiated Papillary Mesothelioma in a Female With Multilocular Peritoneal Inclusion Cysts — B. AbdullGaffar, L.G. Raman (2019)
• Free-floating intra-peritoneal mesothelial cyst with histologic properties of amniotic epithelium in term pregnancy: Report of two cases — K.P. Tsui, H.J. Tsai, et al. (2016)
• A rare case of benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma misdiagnosed as hydatid cyst found in the liver parenchyma and abdomen cavity of a male with asbestos exposure — A.B. Kelarji, M.S. Alshutaihi, et al. (2021)
• Peritoneal, benign, cystic mesothelioma with free-floating cysts, re-examined by new methods. A case report — O.H. Iversen, T. Hovig, et al. (1988)
• Multiple cystic tumors throughout the abdominal and pelvic cavity — S.C. Yu, C.H. Wu, et al. (2012)

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