A fluid filled retroperitoneal cyst in an elderly woman causing right lower quadrant abdominal, flank and back pain: A large mesenteric cyst fused to an atrophic ovary and fallopian tube case report

Mesenteric cysts account for 1 in 100,000 adult admissions. Symptoms range over a broad spectrum and include abdominal pain, distention, mass and obstruction. Diagnosis of this often requires an imaging study. Herein is reported the case of an 81 year-old female patient that presented to the emergency room with a several month history of progressive, lingering abdominal and back pain, that experienced an acute exacerbation. A CT scan showed a large fluid filled cystic structure that was adjacent to the ileocecal junction. A diagnostic laparoscopy with excision of the cystic structure was performed with oophorectomy and salpingectomy as these structures were adhered to the structure, no bowel resection was required. Pathologic analysis was consistent with a benign mesenteric cyst with an atrophic ovary and fallopian tube. Complete excision of a suspected mesenteric cyst is advised. Minimally invasive techniques are excellent tools for both diagnosis and excision of these structures.