Laparoscopic Treatment of Giant Abdominal Lymphangioma in a Child

Giant cystic lymphangioma (GCL) is a rare benign cystic tumor. The gold standard treatment of abdominal GCL is surgical excision. Only few series of pediatric patients managed with mini-invasive surgery are reported. We describe a case of a 2-year-old girl with a GCL who was treated with laparoscopic excision with a good outcome. She was admitted to our hospital because of acute abdominal pain associated with high temperature. At physical examination, the abdomen was distended and tender. An x-ray film and ultrasonography with Doppler of the abdomen shows the presence of large amount of corpusculated fluid into the peritoneal cavity. Computed tomography showed a very large, septated, cystic abdominopelvic lesion, with the small bowel and colon displaced in the central abdomen. At laparoscopy, GCL arising from the great omentum was identified and completely removed. Histological examination confirmed the diagnosis. At 2-year follow-up, the child is doing well.