LAPAROSCOPIC RESECTION OF A MESENTERIC CYST

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.