Giant Lipoma Causing a Colo-colonic Intussusception

Abstract

Intussusception is much more common in children than in adults. Unlike in children, intussusception in adults is associated with an identifiable etiology in 90 per cent of cases. Lipomas are the second most common benign tumors of the colon. Small lipomas are usually asymptomatic and are found incidentally during colonoscopy. Giant lipomas are uncommon causes for colonic intussusception. This usually presents as abdominal pain and vomiting and less commonly as diarrhea. Computed tomography is an excellent method to diagnose giant colonic lipomas, by showing a well demarcated, round, low-attenuated lesion in the lumen of the colon. The definitive treatment for symptomatic lipomas is surgical resection. Both laparoscopic and open resections have been described. Endoscopic resection of colonic lipomas is associated with a high complication rate. In this report, we present a patient with a giant colonic lipoma causing colocolonic intussusception.