Giant omental lipoma, a rare etiology of right-iliac fossa pain in adult: A surgical case report

Int J Surg Case Rep. 2022 Aug:97:107428. doi: 10.1016/j.ijscr.2022.107428. Epub 2022 Jul 23.

Abstract

Background: Omental lipoma is an uncommon abdominal tumor of mature fat cells. Those benign tumors are usually asymptomatic but occasionally can cause signs and symptoms based on their location, size, and presence of complications. Radiological investigations such as Abdominal ultrasonography (USG) and computed tomography (CT) are crucial to evaluate and diagnose intra-abdominal tumors, especially omental lipomas.

Presentation: A 61-year-old male patient presented to our hospital with right iliac fossa pain. Physical examination and laboratory test results were normal. The performed abdominal CT scan revealed a large right-sided intraperitoneal mass measuring about 2.4 × 10 × 20 cm. Then, an ultrasound-guided biopsy was done and the picture was most consistent with lipoma. So, surgical intervention was decided and omental lipoma was completely exteriorized via a laparoscopic approach. The weight of the excised omental mass was 2.45 kg, measuring 23 × 18 × 7 cm. The resected specimens, including omental lipoma and omental lymph nodes, were sent for histopathological studies. The postoperative period was uneventful.

Discussion: Omental lipoma is an unusual entity that occurs often in children and rarely in adults. The clinical features of omental lipomas include abdominal discomfort, abdominal lump, abdominal pain, nausea, and/or weight loss. Diagnosis of the omental lipoma relies on imaging and physical examination, which was normal in the presented case. Abdominal CT provides definitive fat content characterization and its localization within the omentum.

Conclusion: Due to the rare etiologic origin of omental lipomas, we report the case of a 61-year-old male with right iliac fossa pain, found to be caused by detected giant omental lipoma.

Keywords: Abdominal pain; Case report; Intraperitoneal mass; Lipoma; Omentum.