Emergency presentation of cystic lymphangioma of the colon: A case report and literature review

• Lymphangiomas of the colon are benigne tumors.
• They may lead to life-threatening conditions.
• Infection, volvulus, obstruction and bleeding into the lumen of a cyst are usually very difficult to manage.

IntroductionColonic lymphangioma is an unusual benign malformation. The clinical presentation of lymphangiomas vary from incidental discovery on imaging to presenting with acute abdomen.Presentation of caseWe present the case of a 73-year-old male, undergoing surgery due to acute abdomen associated with severe anemia, in whose case a lymphangioma of the cecum was recognised only in the postoperative histopathological examination.DiscussionThe management of colonic lymphangioma depends on the individual situation; close surveillance or endoscopic therapy may be appropriate for asymptomatic lesions smaller than 2.5 cm in diameter. Surgical intervention can be considered for larger lesions or in patients who develop complications.ConclusionThe interest in our case lies in the relatively rare diagnosis of colon lymphangioma and how the cardinal sign was anemia, which may be due to the serosanguineous cystic contents of lymphangiomatosis from the internal bleeding and can cause fatal complications that require emergency surgery.