All issues > Volume 43(1); 2000

Case Report

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 2000;43(1):111-116. Published online January 15, 2000.

A Case of Retroperitoneal Cystic Lymphangioma

Chang Ho CH Lee¹, Jeong Hwa JH Choi¹, Eun Ju EJ Han¹, Jin Gook JG Kim¹, Bung Do BD Nam¹, Jae Won JW Back², Mun Kyu MK Park²

¹Department of Pediatircs, Kwang Hwae General Hospital, Pusan, Korea
²Department of General Surgery, Kwang Hwae General Hospital, Pusan, Korea

Abstract

Cystic lymphangiomas are comparatively rare, benign tumors of lymphatic system and their histogenesis are uncertain. About 75% of theses lesions are in the neck, 20% are in the axillary region, and 5% are in the mediastinum, retroperitoneal region or groin. But retroperitoneal cysticlymphangiomas are very rare. Retroperitoneal cystic lymphangiomas are usually found incidentally during diagnostic procedures performed for unrelated clinical reasons or at surgery. Although retroperitoneal cystic lymphangioma is a benign lesion, it may cause significant morbidity due to its large size and its often invasive character with a strong tedency to secondary infection. They generally present as a palpable mass or abdominal pain and fever related to hemorrhage or inflammation of the cystic wall. The treatment of choice is surgical excision. We experienced a case of retroperitoneal cystic lymphangioma in a 4-year-old boy who had developed rapid abdominal distention and abdominal pain for 4 days. We have completely excised large cystic mass ＆ histologically confirmed cystic lymphangioma. A brief review of literature was made.

Keywords :Retroperitoneal cystic lymphangioma