Laparoscopic treatment of a huge mesenteric chylous cyst

Abstract

Mesenteric chylous cysts are rare pathologic entities that often present with unspecific symptoms. The preoperative diagnosis requires all the common abdominal imaging techniques, but usually the correct diagnosis may be made only at the operation stage or during the histological examination. The treatment of choice is the complete surgical excision that may be safely performed by laparoscopy. A 58-year-old man underwent laparoscopic excision of a huge mesenteric chylous cyst. The technique entails the perfect control of the major abdominal vessels running near the tumor and the complete sealing of the chylous and blood vessels to and from the cyst. © 2010 by JSLS, Journal of the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons.