A Case of Laparoscopic Resection of Mesenteric Pseudocyst of the Small Intestine

Abstract

A 33-year-old woman presented with a left flank mass. An abdominal CT and MRI scans revealed a 55-mm spherical cystic mass near the Treitz ligament. An operation was performed with the suspected diagnosis of mesenteric teratoma. Intraoperative findings showed that the mass was present in the jejunal mesentery at 20-cm anal side from the Treitz ligament. The patient underwent laparoscopic excision of the mass without bowel resection. The mass was a unilocular cystic lesion. Pathological examination showed no epithelium lining the internal surfaces, and the mass was diagnosed as mesenteric pseudocyst. Mesenteric cystic masses are difficult to diagnose preoperatively, so complete surgical resection without rupturing them is important. The laparoscopic surgery for relatively small masses is less invasive and safe, so it is of value as the diagnostic therapy of the mesenteric cystic masses.