A case of mesenteric lipoma of the small intestine in an adult patient.

INTRODUCTION: Lipomas are the most common benign tumors of adipose tissue, often presenting as slow-growing, painless masses. Although typically harmless, they can occasionally mimic more serious conditions, requiring careful evaluation and differentiation in clinical practice.

PRESENTATION OF CASE: We report on a 74-year-old man who underwent surgery for an abscess in the right lobe of the liver, gangrenous-perforated acalculous cholecystitis, and a perivesical abscess. During the revision of the abdominal cavity, a dense formation with enlarged lymph nodes was found on the small intestine near the mesentery. Resection of this segment of the small intestine was performed. The resected segment was extensively covered with adipose tissue. Microscopic examination revealed the tumor to be composed of homogeneous mature adipose tissue without cellular atypia, consistent with a diagnosis of mesenteric lipoma.

DISCUSSION: The essential feature of this case is the large size of the lipoma in small intestine. These lipomas are rare, benign mesenchymal tumors with no malignant potential, often discovered incidentally and typically asymptomatic.

CONCLUSION: This report may provide new aspects of visualization of lipomas and highlight the necessity for the upgrade of the surgery tactic.