Intra-abdominal cystic lymphangioma in adults: A case series of 32 patients and literature review

Houcine Maghrebi; Chaima Yakoubi; Hazem Beji; Feryel Letaief; Sadok Megdich; Amin Makni; Seif Boukriba; Wassim Frikha; Mouna Ayadi; Montasser Kacem

doi:10.1016/j.amsu.2022.104460

Intra-abdominal cystic lymphangioma in adults: A case series of 32 patients and literature review

Ann Med Surg (Lond). 2022 Aug 19:81:104460. doi: 10.1016/j.amsu.2022.104460. eCollection 2022 Sep.

Authors

Houcine Maghrebi^{1

2}, Chaima Yakoubi^{1

2}, Hazem Beji^{1

2}, Feryel Letaief^{3

2}, Sadok Megdich^{1

2}, Amin Makni^{1

2}, Seif Boukriba^{4

2}, Wassim Frikha^{4

2}, Mouna Ayadi^{3

2}, Montasser Kacem^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of General Surgery "A", La Rabta Hospital, Tunis, Tunisia.
² University of Tunis El Manar, Faculty of Medicine, Tunis, Tunisia.
³ Department of Medical Oncology, Salah Azaeiz Institute, Tunis, Tunisia.
⁴ Department of Radiology, La Rabta Hospital, Tunis, Tunisia.

Abstract

Introduction: Cystic lymphangioma (CL) is a benign tumor originating from the lymph vessels. Lymphangiomas in the abdominal cavity are extremely rare, particularly in adults.This article was designed to study the epidemiological, diagnostic difficulties, and therapeutic principles of intra-abdominal cystic lymphangioma (ACL) in adults.

Material and methods: We conducted a single-center, retrospective study of 32 adult patients with ACL admitted to surgical department "A" in "La Rabta Hospital" in Tunis, from January 1998 through December 2020. The demographic, clinical, biological, radiological characteristics, histopathologic, and therapeutic data were collected, as well as the surgical intervention used and the postoperative immediate and late complications.

Results: Thirty-two adult patients with ACL were recruited, including 20 females and 12 males. The median age at treatment was 47 (range 14-80) years. The most prevalent sites were the retroperitoneum (25%), the mesentery (21.9%), and the paracolic gutters (n = 18. 7%). Twenty patients underwent open surgery (62.5%), whereas 12 cases (37.5%) had laparoscopic surgery. Twenty-eight patients received total cystectomy (87%). Three recurrences were observed during follow-up (9.4%).

Conclusion: The clinical features of CL in adults remain unclear. The diagnosis is only confirmed by histopathological examination after complete surgical resection. The laparoscopic approach is considered safe and feasible.

Keywords: Abdominal; Benign tumors; Cystic lymphangioma; Surgical resection.