Two cases of mucinous cystadenoma of the appendix successfully treated by laparoscopy

Two cases of mucinous cystadenoma of the appendix successfully treated by laparoscopy are reported. An 81-year-old woman with lower right back pain was diagnosed with mucinous cystadenoma of the appendix or appendiceal carcinoma and underwent elective laparoscopic surgery. The other case involved a 70-year-old man with hematochezia who was diagnosed with mucinous cystadenoma. He also underwent elective laparoscopic surgery. In these two cases, gauze was folded around the tumors rather than grasping them directly. The postoperative courses were uneventful, and these patients had no recurrent disease at 2-year follow-up. In such cases, surgical excision of the tumor without rupture is of paramount importance because rupture of the lesion can cause pseudomyxoma peritonei. Though appendiceal mucinous cystadenoma has been considered a contraindication of laparoscopic resection, it was possible to achieve this by using a laparoscopic procedure with a gauze technique.