Omental cyst presenting as tubercular ascites

Abstract

Cystic lymphangiomas are uncommon congenital benign tumours of vascular origin with a lymphatic differentiation originating across various anatomical locations. Large intrabdominal cysts may mimic ascites. We report the case of a one-and-a-half-year-old male child with a giant cystic lymphangioma originating in the greater omentum presenting as tubercular ascites. This report aims to highlight the limitations of biochemical investigations such as ascitic adenosine deaminase (ADA) in differentiating the epidemiologically prevalent tubercular ascites from an intrabdominal cyst, especially in a resource-poor nation as ours, where invasive diagnostic procedures pose an economic burden. © 2010 Joshi et al.