Incidental intraoperative finding of jejunal neuroendocrine tumors during elective ventral hernia repair

Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) constitute ~0.5% of all diagnosed malignancies. In our case, a 72-year-old male, who was asymptomatic aside from mild left lower abdominal pain, was scheduled for elective ventral hernia repair, evident on computed tomography. The laparoscopic ventral hernia repair necessitated the conversion to laparotomy due to extensive adhesions and the incorporation of surgical mesh into the small bowel wall. The patient suffered from delayed small bowel injury resulting in the second emergent laparotomy when numerous calcified lesions were incidentally noted in the small bowel wall. Pathology confirmed Grade 1 well-differentiated NETs of the jejunum. This case highlights the importance of considering NETs as part of a differential diagnosis in patients with nonspecific symptoms and negative imaging studies. This case also emphasizes the importance of early detection of this rare pathology to improve prognosis and outcome.