Published online Feb 28, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i8.2117
Revised: November 7, 2013
Accepted: December 12, 2013
Published online: February 28, 2014
Processing time: 151 Days and 8.3 Hours
Intestinal lipomatosis is a rare disease with an incidence at autopsy ranging from 0.04% to 4.5%. Because the lipomas are diffusely distributed in the intestine, most patients are symptom-free, and invasive intervention is not advised by most doctors. Here, we describe a case with intussusception due to small-bowel lipomatosis. Partial small bowel resection and anastomosis were performed because the intestinal wall was on the verge of perforation. This case indicates that regular follow-up is necessary and endoscopic treatment should be considered to avoid surgical procedures if the lipoma is large enough to cause intestinal obstruction.
Core tip: Intestinal lipomatosis is a rare disease, obstruction due to a large lipoma may result in acute abdomen, and surgical intervention is applied infrequently. When patients are presented with symptoms, endoscopic treatment should be considered.