Mesenteric fibromatosis: case report and literature review

Mesenteric fibromatosis is a rare, benign fibrous lesion found in the bowel mesentery or the retroperitoneum. Its biological behavior is intermediate between benign fibrous tissue proliferation and fibrosarcoma. Fibromatosis characteristically is locally invasive and tends to recur but does not metastasize. Most reported cases have been in older individuals, and there is a frequent association with familial polyposis coli, previous trauma, and hormonal imbalance. The authors report a case of mesenteric fibromatosis in a 32-month-old girl with a 1-month history of abdominal pain who was discovered to have an abdominal mass. After appropriate investigations, the mass was excised. The pathology report confirmed the diagnosis of fibromatosis. Mesenteric fibromatosis in children, as in adults, presents a management challenge for the surgeon.