Abstract
Mesenteric cysts are uncommon enough to excite surgical interest in view of their diverse presentation and lack of a definitive diagnostic test. It is occasionally diagnosed when laparotomy is performed because of its complications such as intestinal obstruction and peritonitis. A case of mesenteric cyst pre-operatively diagnosed as an ovarian cyst is reported. A 16-year-old woman visited our hospital because of an upper abdominal pain and was diagnosed as an ovarian cyst by ultrasonography. Laparotomy revealed a mesenteric cyst of the ileum. The cyst was resected with segment of ileum and post-operative period was uneventful. A review was carried out of mesenteric cysts reported in the past five years in Japan. Correct preoperative diagnosis was made in 35% of the cases, a slight improvement over a previous review. When both ultrasound examination (US) and computed tomography (CT) were performed, the ratio moved up to 62%. Therefore we conclude that the combination of US and CT is an effective method for diagnosing mesenteric cysts.
