Interesting surgical cases of mesenteric cystic lymphangioma

Abstract

Mesenteric cystic lymphangioma involving the gastrointestinal tract is uncommon in infants and children. It is a benign tumor due to abnormal formation lymphatic system. These tumors exhibit symptoms varying in site and size of localization. Usually, symptoms are manifested by acute abdominal pain, intestinal obstruction, rising body temperature, and diarrhea. Lymphangioma can easily misdiagnose with other conditions like intestinal obstruction, acute appendicitis, or ovarian cyst in a female child. Therapeutic interventions such as fibrin glue, steroids, bleomycin, OK-432, and laparoscopic-assisted surgery are available. From 2018 to 2022, the Regional Paediatrics Hospital of Grodno, Belarus has recorded two cases of mesenteric lymphangioma. Both were emergency cases. In this scientific paper, we have described a surgical approach with improved outcomes. In both cases, surgical resection of lymphangioma that was rooted alongside the ileum was done. We used laparotomy in our surgical procedure, however, the approach was different, one being lower median laparotomy and another being a transrectal approach. Post-operatively patients were in satisfactory condition. Even though mesenteric lymphangioma is a benign condition, it should be immediately diagnosed and surgically managed to avoid morbidity, and mortality due to an increase in size that can fatally compress the adjacent organs impairing the function of an organ and complications like intestinal obstruction and bleeding. Our approaches with case-1 and case-2, both resulted in effective surgical and post-surgical outcomes. But more data is required to make a population-based influence depending on our approach.