Lipoma of the Ileum: A Rare Cause of Intussusception in Adults

Abstract

Bowel intussusception is a rare entity in adults. Symptoms are nonspecific and most of diagnoses are made by computed tomography scan. We report the case of an adult with bowel obstruction due to an ileoileal intussusception caused by a lipoma.
A 44-year-old male patient with colicky epigastric pain since the day before, bilious vomiting, abdominal distension and epigastrium tenderness. Plain abdominal radiography revealed dilation of small bowel with gas-fluid levels and computed tomography scan suggested an ileoileal intussusception. We performed bowel resection comprising the lesion, removal of the regional lymph nodes and a primary anastomosis. The histopathology report revealed a lipoma. Patient was discharged on the fifth postoperative day.
A lipoma is a rare cause of intussusception, with a challenging diagnosis, because of nonspecific symptoms. An early computed tomography scan is essential for the diagnosis and prompt surgical resection is recommended.