Abstract
BackgroundA mesenteric chylous cyst is defined as a cyst occurring in the mesentery of the gastrointestinal tract anywhere from the duodenum to the rectum and is diagnosed most often during the fifth decade of life.Case presentationIn our case report, we describe a case of 38-year-old Greek woman who presented at our Emergency Department complaining of abdominal pain without any other symptoms. Her medical and family histories were clear and she had never had any abdominal interventions. During an imaging examination with ultrasound of her abdomen, an anechoic lesion in her upper left abdomen was revealed. In a further investigation with computed tomography, a well-defined hypodense cystic 7.08 × 6.05 cm mass with mild enhancement was noted. The mass was excised by open laparotomy within healthy borders and the specimen was sent for pathological examination. The histopathological findings were found to be most consistent with a simple lymphatic (chylous) cyst of the mesentery. A review of the literature considering this rare entity was also performed to evaluate our treatment strategy and the result was analyzed.ConclusionsChylous cysts represent a diagnostic challenge and they should be considered when a physician encounters an intraabdominal mass. Physical examination and imaging do not always provide a diagnosis and surgical management should be advised due to the potential complications that may develop.
Highlights
A mesenteric chylous cyst is defined as a cyst occurring in the mesentery of the gastrointestinal tract anywhere from the duodenum to the rectum and is diagnosed most often during the fifth decade of life.Case presentation: In our case report, we describe a case of 38-year-old Greek woman who presented at our Emergency Department complaining of abdominal pain without any other symptoms
A mesenteric chylous cyst is defined as a cyst in the mesentery of the gastrointestinal tract anywhere from the duodenum to the rectum, and which may extend from the base of the mesentery into the retroperitoneum [4]
Chylous cysts represent approximately 7.3% of all abdominal cysts and they were first described by Rokitansky in 1842 [6]
Summary
Chylous cysts represent a diagnostic challenge and they should be considered when a physician encounters an intraabdominal mass. Authors’ contributions DP participated in the design of the study and coordination, and helped to draft the manuscript. PB and AK performed the statistical analysis, conceived of the study, and drafted the manuscript. AI, GK, and AM gave important information and drafted the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Ethics approval and consent to participate The study was approved by the investigational review board (IRB) of AHEPA University Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece. Consent for publication Written informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this case report and any accompanying images. A copy of the written consent is available for review by the Editor-in-Chief of this journal. Author details 11st Propedeutic Surgical Unit, AHEPA University Hospital of Thessaloniki, St Kiriakidi 1, 54621 Thessaloniki, Greece. Author details 11st Propedeutic Surgical Unit, AHEPA University Hospital of Thessaloniki, St Kiriakidi 1, 54621 Thessaloniki, Greece. 2Pathology Department, AHEPA University Hospital of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
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