Intussusception of a mucocele of the appendix secondary to an obstruction by endometriosis: report of a case.

We treated a patient with a complete invagination of the cecum which contained a mucocele of the appendix secondary to an obstruction by endometriosis. Preoperatively, a barium enema showed a crab's claw-like area without filling in the oral side of the transverse colon. An emergency laparotomy was performed and revealed a mucocele of the appendix to have induced appendicecal invagination; however, no colonic invagination was observed. An appendicecal resection was thus done. Pathologically, the resected specimen was a mucosal hyperplasia with mucin-secreting lesions of the appendix. The theories regarding the pathogenesis of appendicecal mucocele are reviewed and discussed.