Reporting an unusual case of mesenteric desmoid tumor

A 51-year-old male patient with no history of medical illnesses presented to the emergency department with abdominal pain and a temperature of 39 degrees Celsius. His condition deteriorated rapidly within a few hours. Clear signs of acute abdomen, raised white blood cell count and small gas-fluid levels on abdominal X ray prompted an urgent CT scan of the abdomen. The latter revealed a space occupying lesion arising from the central mesentery containing gas-fluid levels measuring approximately 9 x 9 cm. An urgent exploratory laparotomy was performed. This revealed a mesenteric mass measuring 10 x 10 cm with an abscess. Anatomopathologic investigations showed a mesenteric desmoid tumor. Both colonoscopy and gastroscopy were within normal range ruling out Gardner's syndrome with no polyps or other lesions. The patient made full recovery with radical surgery. This is to our knowledge the fifth case of a desmoid tumor presenting with abdominal abscess not associated with familial adenomatous polyposis. We therefore believe this is an important finding to report.