Case Report
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2018. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Oncol. Dec 15, 2018; 10(12): 522-527
Published online Dec 15, 2018. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v10.i12.522
Experience in the diagnosis and treatment of mesenteric lymphangioma in adults: A case report and review of literature
Jie Chen, Lin Du, Dao-Rong Wang
Jie Chen, Dao-Rong Wang, Department of Gastroenterology, Northern Jiangsu Province People’s Hospital, Yangzhou 225001, Jiangsu Province, China
Lin Du, Department of Cardiovascular, Affiliated Hospital of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225001, Jiangsu Province, China
Author contributions: Chen J and Du L designed the research, collected the clinical data and wrote the manuscript; Wang DR revised the manuscript.
Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 81572343.
Informed consent statement: The study participant provided informed written consent prior to the study.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author to: Dao-Rong Wang, PhD, Chief Doctor, Department of Gastroenterology, Northern Jiangsu Province People’s Hospital, 98 West Nantong Road, Yangzhou 225001, Jiangsu Province, China. 1530467018@qq.com
Telephone: +86-514-87373295 Fax: +86-514-87972218
Received: September 5, 2018
Peer-review started: September 13, 2018
First decision: October 11, 2018
Revised: November 2, 2018
Accepted: November 7, 2018
Article in press: November 7, 2018
Published online: December 15, 2018
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Mesenteric lymphangioma (ML) in adults is a very rare disease. We report six hospitalized adult patients with ML in our hospital between January 2013 and July 2018 to investigate the characteristics and prognosis of ML in adults.

CASE SUMMARY

The male-to-female ratio was 3:3, and the median age at diagnosis was 55.2 years. Clinical manifestations varied; however, most were acute cases (5/6). No history of trauma was reported. None (0/6) of the patients were accurately diagnosed with ML in the emergency and outpatient departments. Mesenteric cysts were identified in four patients (66.7%) by abdominal ultrasound and in five patients (83.3%) by computed tomography. ML was postoperatively confirmed by pathology. Most MLs (4/6) were associated with infection of other systems. ML was located in the mesentery of the small intestine (n = 4), ileum (n = 1) and rectum (n = 1). Cyst fluid was clear (n = 4), chylous (n = 1) and bloody (n = 1). Surgical procedures included complete tumor removal and partial intestinal excision (n = 6). Recurrence and adhesive intestinal obstruction were not observed during the 3-12 mo follow-up period.

CONCLUSION

ML in adults is a rare benign acquired disease that can be cured by surgical treatment. Infection may be a cause of ML.

Keywords: Mesenteric lymphangioma, Mesenteric cyst, Adults, Acute abdominal pain, Case report

Core tip: Mesenteric lymphangioma (ML) is a rare congenital lymphangioma that predominantly affects children. We reported six cases of adult patients with ML and reviewed the literature. The report is helpful in comprehensively understanding the characteristics and prognosis of ML in adults and arousing the clinician’s attention to this disease.