Solitary Air Cyst of Peritoneal Cavity

Pathogenesis of giant colonic diverticula

“…The walls of the GCD with few exceptions [1,6,10,15] have been reported to be lined neither by mucosa nor by muscularis mucosa (although mucosal remnants can be occasionally seen). Instead they are lined by a fibrous wall associated with a chronic inflammatory infiltrate [8][9][10][11][12] (Figs.…”

“…1D and 2C). In few reported cases [1,6,10,15] the cyst wall contained all layers of the colonic wall, suggesting that it was a true diverticulum or a communicating duplication. However, duplications of the bowel are unusual in the older age group in which GCD are found, and are rare in the sigmoid colon.…”

“…A much rarer manifestation is the formation of a giant diverticulum. Since the GCD was first described in 1953 by Hughes and Green [6], more than 50 cases have been reported in the English literature [9]. The giant colonic diverticulum has been variously termed solitary or giant air cyst [3, 5, 6, 16], giant gas cyst [7,20], giant sigmoid diverticulum [2,8,12,13,21,22], giant diverticulum of the sigmoid colon [4,10,11], and giant colonic diverticulum [9].…”

A giant sigmoid diverticulum presenting as an upper abdominal mass

“…The first case was reported in 1946 by Bonvin and Bonte [2] and Hughes and Green [3] described the first case in UK in 1953. Giant sigmoid diverticula usually develop against a background of diverticular disease.…”

Giant Diverticulum of the Colon: A Possible Pathogenesis

“…In one, there was an acute onset of abdominal pain, sometimes accompanied by features suggesting di verticulitis; in the other group, there were recurrent epi sodes, sometimes extending over months or years, of vague abdominal discomfort. Others [14,15] described patients with an asymptomatic mass or abdominal en largement, which waxed and waned, and increased during defaecation. Clinical examination usually reveals a hyperresonant lower abdominal mass.…”