Case Report
Copyright ©2007 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Jan 14, 2007; 13(2): 320-323
Published online Jan 14, 2007. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v13.i2.320
Gallbladder lymphangioma: A case report and review of the literature
Jwa-Kyung Kim, Kyo-Sang Yoo, Joon Ho Moon, Kwang Hyuk Park, Yong Woo Chung, Kyoung Oh Kim, Cheol Hee Park, Taeho Hahn, Sang Hoon Park, Jong Hyeok Kim, Jang Yeong Jeon, Min Jung Kim, Kwang Seon Min, Choong Kee Park
Jwa-Kyung Kim, Kyo-Sang Yoo, Joon Ho Moon, Kwang Hyuk Park, Yong Woo Chung, Kyoung Oh Kim, Cheol Hee Park, Taeho Hahn, Sang Hoon Park, Jong Hyeok Kim, Choong Kee Park, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Hallym University College of Medicine, Anyang, Korea
Jang Yeong Jeon, Department of Surgery, Hallym University College of Medicine, Anyang, Korea
Min Jung Kim, Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Hallym University College of Medicine, Anyang, Korea
Kwang Seon Min, Department of Pathology, Hallym University College of Medicine, Anyang, Korea
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Correspondence to: Kyo-Sang Yoo, MD, PhD, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, 896 Pyeongchon-dong, Dongan-gu, Anyang, Gyeonggi 431-070, Korea. stanyoo@hallym.ac.kr
Telephone: +82-31-380-6065 Fax: +82-31-386-2269
Received: November 8, 2006
Revised: November 2, 2006
Accepted: December 6, 2006
Published online: January 14, 2007
Abstract

Lymphangiomas are rare, benign tumors of the lymphatic system, usually present in children aged 5 years and younger. Because they are asymptomatic until the mass enlarges to cause symptoms, most lymphangiomas are diagnosed at adulthood incidentally. We experienced a case of a 60-year-old man diagnosed with a cystic lymphangioma of the gallbladder, which was successfully resected without any complication. Magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography were very helpful for the diagnosis of the cystic lesion around the gallbladder as were ultrasonography and computed tomography scan. These showed a multi-lobulated cystic mass with intact cystic duct and bile duct in the gallbladder fossa. The patient underwent an open cholecystectomy and the histological findings were consistent with a cystic lymphangioma of the gallbladder. We here report the case of cystic lymphangioma of the gallbladder with a review of the literature.

Keywords: Lymphangioma; Gallbladder; Cholecystectomy