A case of laparoscopically assisted ileocecal resection for a small terminal ileum carcinoid tumor with lymph node metastasis

Abstract

The patient was a 73-year-old male, who developed constipation. Colonoscopy revealed an elevated lesion in the terminal ileum that appeared to be a submucosal tumor. On histology, a diagnosis of carcinoid was made based on the results of the biopsy specimen obtained from the ileal lesion. A laparoscopically assisted ileocecal resection with lymph node dissection was done. The resected specimen included a submucosal tumor, in diameter, located in the terminal ileum. On histology, the carcinoid tumor was found to deeply invade the submucosal layer ; a regional lymph node metastasis was present. In Japan, carcinoid tumors of the ileum are rere, but they are very frequently associated with metastasis. Therefore, carcinoid tumors of ileum should have a lymph node dissection irrespective of tumor size. A literature review of carcinoid tumors of the ileum smaller than 10 mm in diameter is presented in this paper.