Published online Jul 14, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i26.8745
Revised: January 29, 2014
Accepted: March 7, 2014
Published online: July 14, 2014
Colonic lymphangioma is an unusual benign malformation. We herein describe two cases. A 36-year-old woman was admitted with one year of intermittent abdominal pain; colonoscopy, abdominopelvic computed tomography and endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) revealed enlarged cystic masses at the ascending colon. In another 40-year-old man, colonoscopy and EUS revealed an asymptomatic lobulated cystic mass with four small sessile polyps at the sigmoid colon. Both patients underwent laparoscopic segmental colectomy. Both masses were histologically confirmed as cystic lymphangiomas, and the patients were discharged without complications. The management of colonic lymphangioma depends on the individual situation; close surveillance or endoscopic therapy may be appropriate for asymptomatic lesions smaller than 2.5 cm in diameter. Surgical intervention can be considered for larger lesions or in patients who develop complication risks. Laparoscopic segmental colon resection may be recommended to excise relatively large submucosal lesions because it is a definitive, minimally invasive intervention with a fast postoperative recovery.
Core tip: We herein present two unusual cases of colonic cystic lymphangiomas that required surgical intervention. Both patients underwent laparoscopic segmental colectomy and had uneventful postoperative recoveries with confirmed histopathological diagnoses. This minimally invasive approach is an attractive alternative for rare benign malformation cases.