Minilaparoscopic Resection of Mesenteric Cystic Lymphangioma in an Infant

Introduction: Abdominal mesenteric cystic lymphangiomas are congenital lymphatic malformations found most commonly within the small bowel mesentery, omentum, and mesocolon. These lesions may be detected incidentally on imaging studies or may present with bowel obstruction. Treatment of choice is surgical enucleation with possible segmental intestinal resection. Case Description: This report describes the use of minilaparoscopy in the treatment of abdominal mesenteric cystic lymphangioma (MCL) in a child, along with a review of the current literature on laparoscopic treatment. Our patient, who had a prenatal diagnosis of an intra-abdominal mass, had developed postprandial emesis. Imaging work-up with ultrasonography and CT scan revealed an intra-abdominal mass suspicious for lipomatous tumor. The patient underwent minilaparoscopy-assisted resection of the intra-abdominal mass, along with the resection of small bowel that was adherent to the tumor. The final pathology showed that the mass was an MCL. Discussion: The traditional treatment for MCL has been open surgical resection. Recently, laparoscopic surgical excision of mesenteric cysts in children has been reported in the literature.