Case Report
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World J Gastroenterol. Aug 14, 2013; 19(30): 5021-5024
Published online Aug 14, 2013. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v19.i30.5021
Mucocele of the appendix due to endometriosis: A rare case report
Motoyuki Tsuda, Yukitaka Yamashita, Shunjiro Azuma, Takuji Akamatsu, Takeshi Seta, Shunji Urai, Yoshito Uenoyama, Yasunori Deguchi, Kazuo Ono, Tsutomu Chiba
Motoyuki Tsuda, Yukitaka Yamashita, Shunjiro Azuma, Takuji Akamatsu, Takeshi Seta, Shunji Urai, Yoshito Uenoyama, Department of Gastroenterology, Japanese Red Cross Wakayama Medical Center, Wakayama 640-8558, Japan
Yasunori Deguchi, Department of Surgery, Japanese Red Cross Wakayama Medical Center, Wakayama 640-8558, Japan
Kazuo Ono, Department of Pathology, Japanese Red Cross Wakayama Medical Center, Wakayama 640-8558, Japan
Tsutomu Chiba, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan
Author contributions: Tsuda M and Yamashita Y designed the report; Tsuda M, Azuma S, Akamatsu T, Seta T, Urai S and Uenoyama Y were the attending doctors; Deguchi Y performed the surgical operations; Ono K performed the pathological examinations; Chiba T organized the report; and Tsuda M wrote the paper.
Correspondence to: Motoyuki Tsuda, MD, Department of Gastroenterology, Japanese Red Cross Wakayama Medical Center, 4-20 Komatubaradori, Wakayama 640-8558, Japan. mtsuda@kuhp.kyoto-u.ac.jp
Telephone: +81-73-4224171 Fax: +81-73-4261168
Received: April 3, 2013
Revised: April 27, 2013
Accepted: May 7, 2013
Published online: August 14, 2013
Processing time: 131 Days and 19.7 Hours
Abstract

Mucocele of the appendix due to endometriosis is extremely rare, and there are only 10 previously reported cases in the English literature. We report a case of mucocele of the appendix due to endometriosis and provide the first review of the literature. A 43-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital because of recurrent right lower abdominal pain during her menstrual periods. Colonoscopy revealed submucosal tumor-like elevations of the appendiceal orifice. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging of the abdomen suggested cystic lesions near the appendix. Consequently, mucocele of the appendix was suspected preoperatively. An open ileocecal resection was performed. Multiple cystic lesions were observed around the appendix. The cystic lesions contained mucus. Histopathological examination was consistent with a mucocele of the appendix due to endometriosis. The postoperative course was uneventful. We present the first review of the literature to clarify the clinical features.

Keywords: Mucocele; Appendix; Endometriosis

Core tip: We report an extremely rare case of mucocele of the appendix due to endometriosis. Although it is uncommon, preoperative diagnosis of the mucocele is important; however, diagnosis is difficult using imaging modalities. We report a more accurate diagnostic possibility using preoperative imaging modalities, such as colonoscopy, ultrasonography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging. Furthermore, this report is important because it is the first review of the literature for mucocele of the appendix due to endometriosis.