Distal ileal lipoma causing small bowel obstruction without intussusception: A case report

Lipomas of the gastrointestinal tract are infrequent, benign neoplasms. They can be found anywhere in the gastrointestinal tract; the ileum is one of the most frequent sites in the small intestine. Intraluminal lipomas of the distal ileum causing bowel obstruction without intussusception are extremely rare.

A 44-year-old male with complaints of abdominal distension, nausea, vomiting, colicky abdominal pain, was subjected to an exploratory laparotomy, which showed intraluminal lipoma situated in the distal ileum causing mechanical obstruction without intussusception. Surgical resection was successfully performed, and the patient recovered with no complications.

Small bowel lipomas are usually asymptomatic. However, larger lesions cause a huge symptomatology of bowel obstruction. In the patient studied, the lipoma caused a complete mechanical obstruction of the small bowel without typical complications with intussusception or volvulus. Although gastrointestinal lipomas are relatively infrequent, the case reminds clinicians of the differential diagnosis of the mechanisms of bowel obstruction. While imaging has a critical role in diagnosis, advanced techniques of CT or MRI are more likely to delineate soft tissue lesions further.

This is a case of an intestinal lipoma that presents with a bowel obstruction in the absence of the usual complications such as intussusception or volvulus. Surgical resection remains the preferred treatment for symptomatic and obstructing lipomas, and their consideration in the differential diagnosis is essential for timely management.