Isolated splenic lymphangioma presenting as a huge mass causing anemia and abdominal distension in an adult patient: a case report

Abstract

BackgroundLymphangiomas are uncommon benign lesions of lymphatic vessels very rarely affecting the spleen. Isolated involvement of the spleen in adult patients is rarely reported.Case presentationWe report a case of a 40-year-old Arabic woman who presented with a 25-cm abdominal mass, fatigue, and anemia evolving for 6 months. Her physical examination revealed anemic syndrome and an enormous splenomegaly extending beyond the umbilical area. An abdominal computed tomographic scan showed a 25-cm splenic mass with multiple hypodense nodules without enhancement after contrast injection. A surgical total splenectomy was performed. Histopathological analysis led to the diagnosis of cystic splenic lymphangioma. The patient’s postoperative course was uneventful, and she was discharged from the hospital.ConclusionsIsolated splenic lymphangioma in adult patients is very rare. The preoperative diagnosis is challenging because imaging techniques are not specific. Pathological analysis of the resected specimen is the only effective way to render the definitive diagnosis. Splenic lymphangiomas have a benign course after complete surgical resection.

Isolated Splenic Lymphangiomas Presenting in an Infant with Isolated Anaemia

“…Bone aspiration was normal, and the patient did not have a haemorrhagic syndrome, and therefore the anaemia could only be explained by hypersplenism, caused by lymphangiomas. is has been previously reported in an adult patient who only had anaemia and a sporadic lymphangioma in the spleen [3], but our case is the first in a child.…”

“…Lymphangiomas of the spleen are often asymptomatic and diagnosed incidentally by imaging [2]. We only found one case in the literature that presented with an isolated anaemia, and it was in an adult [3]. is made this case quite unique as it was in an infant with no other explanation for the anaemia, and it provided imaging of the lymphangiomas of the spleen that caused this phenomenon.…”

Splenic cystic lymphangioma in adults: A rare case report from Syria

“…Hyalinization and calcification of the fibrous connective tissue may be present [ 11 ]. The treatment of choice for splenic lymphangiomas is total splenectomy, particularly in case of large lesions, in order to avoid potential complications such as splenic rupture, hemorrhage, or hypersplenism, and to exclude the possibility of malignant lesions [ [1] , [2] , [3] ]. Other therapeutic methods, including aspiration, and drainage, showed insignificant results [ 6 , 8 , 12 ].…”

“…Lymphangiomas are rare benign tumors of the lymphatic vessels, found mainly in children but rarely in adults [ 1 ]. The most common sites of these neoplasms are the neck (75%) and axilla (20%) [ 1 , 2 ]. The Spleen is an exceptional location for lymphangiomas [ 2 , 3 ].…”

Epidermoid Cysts in a Wandering Spleen: An Unusual Enigma

“…Patients with cystic lymphangiomas are predominately asymptomatic. However, lymphangiomas are unique in that they are filled with eosinophilic, proteinaceous lymphatic fluid [10]. Splenic epidermoid cysts do not contain lymph material, rather they contain serous fluid of varied color.…”