Mesenteric cysts are rare intra-abdominal tumors with an incidence aro
und one case per 100,000 hospital admissions. The clinical presentatio
n is variable; patients may be asymptomatic or present with either acu
te or chronic abdominal pain. Physical examination commonly demonstrat
es a smooth, round and mobile abdominal mass. Differential diagnosis i
ncludes any abdominal cyst or tumor. Laboratory tests are usually help
less. Ultrasonography and CT scans are the best diagnostic tools. The
treatment of choice is the total resection of the cyst, which is regul
arly performed by open surgery. This paper reports a case of a mesente
ric cyst successfully resected by laparoscopy, and addresses the possi
ble uses of this approach.