Giant cystic lymphangioma of the stomach: A case report

Cystic lymphangioma is a benign tumor originating from the lymph vessels. It commonly occurs in childhood, in the head or neck regions. However, abdominal Cystic lymphangioma is extremely rare in adult patients and often asymptomatic. Considering abdominal space, it may attain huge sizes whilst causing minimal symptoms. Due to this insidious presentation, these tumors become massive and can be diagnosed late at the complication stage.

This case report describes a rare and exceptional case of giant cystic lymphangioma of the stomach presented with a perforation in the abdominal cavity. The diagnosis was suspected following an abdominal CT scan, but could not confirm that the lesion was derived from the stomach. Therefore, an exploratory laparotomy found a multi-cystic mass occupying most of the abdominal space, adherent to the small gastric curvature and without delimitation line. This mass presents a small perforation responsible for an ascites of medium abundance. Then, the patient underwent a subtotal gastrectomy removing the entire cystic mass. Pathological analysis of the surgical specimen confirmed the diagnosis of cystic lymphangioma of the stomach.The postoperative recovery was uneventful, and the patient was discharged after 6 days. At the 3-month follow-up, the patient was in good health.

The cystic lymphangioma of the stomach is rare and exceptionally described in the literature. However, if this tumor is benign, it has the potential to grow, invade vital structures, and develop life-threatening complications.

We stress the importance of complete surgical excision to prevent cyst complications and to reduce the recurrence risk.