Rectal Lipoma in an Elderly Male: A Case Report

Lipomas of the gastrointestinal tract are uncommon, benign non-epithelial tumors detected incidentally during surgery or endoscopy. Rectal lipomas are extremely rare. Patients may be asymptomatic or present with rectal bleeding, constipation, tenesmus and signs of intestinal obstruction. Preoperative diagnosis is challenging. Management consists of simple observation, endoscopic or laparoscopic removal, and open surgery. We present a case of an elderly male admitted to the Department of Surgery of a general hospital in Crete, complaining of a protruding rectal mass during defecation. CT raised the diagnostic suspicion. The mass was removed by trans-anal excision. Histopathology of the resected specimen confirmed the diagnosis. The patient had an uneventful postoperative course and was discharged home at the second postoperative day.