Abdominal lymphatic malformation: Spectrum of imaging findings

• Published in: The Indian journal of radiology & imaging Vol. 26; no. 4; pp. 423 - 428
• Main Authors: Lal, Anupam, Gupta, Pankaj, Singhal, Manphool, Sinha, Saroj K, Lal, Sadhana, Rana, Surinder, Khandelwal, Niranjan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: A-12, Second Floor, Sector -2, NOIDA -201301, India Thieme Medical and Scientific Publishers Private Ltd 01.10.2016; Wolters Kluwer India Pvt. Ltd; Medknow Publications and Media Pvt. Ltd; Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart; Medknow Publications & Media Pvt Ltd; Thieme Medical and Scientific Publishers Pvt. Ltd
• Subjects: abdomen; Abdominal Imaging; Care and treatment; Diagnosis; Diagnostic imaging; Lymphatic diseases; lymphatic malformation; mesentery; Pathological histology; retroperitoneum; India; mesentery; retroperitoneum; lymphatic malformation; Abdomen
• ISSN: 0971-3026; 0970-2016; 0971-3026; 1998-3808
• DOI: 10.4103/0971-3026.195777

Abstract Lymphatic malformations are congenital vascular malformations with lymphatic differentiation. Although the most common locations for lymphatic malformation are the neck and axilla, they can occur at several locations in the body including the abdomen. The abdominal location is rather rare and accounts for approximately 5% of all lymphatic malformation. Abdominal lymphatic malformation can arise from mesentery, omentum, gastrointestinal tract, and retroperitoneum. Clinical presentation includes an abdominal lump, vague abdominal discomfort, and secondary complications including intestinal obstruction, volvulus, ischemia, and bleeding. There is a broad spectrum of radiological manifestation. In the present review, we discuss the imaging appearance of abdominal lymphatic malformation. The diagnosis of lymphatic malformation in our series was based on the histopathological examination (in cases who underwent surgery) and fine needle aspiration cytology.