Intussusception in a young woman caused by a colonic lipoma

Introduction: Intussusception is commonly discussed in the context of children. However in adults, intussusception is an identified diagnosis accounting for 5% of all intussusceptions. A malignant etiology is always suspected in adults; however, rarely as in this case, a benign bowel lesion may be the underlying cause. case report: In this case report, we present an unusual case of a 36-year-old female patient with pain in her left lower abdomen with loss of appetite, abdominal distension, and diarrhea lasting three days. computed tomography scan confirmed the diagnosis of intussusception. A lipoma of the descending colon was the lead point for the intussusception into the sigmoid lumen. sigmoid colectomy with primary anastomosis was performed. the resected specimen was a yellowish, oval, and broader-based homogeneous tumor, 4x4x3 cm in size, rising from the submucosal layer of the colonic wall. conclusion: While an intussusception is clinically nonspecific, intestinal obstruction is usually found to be the common presentation. this case highlights Anthea B. Mahesan Paul1, Abraham E. Paul2, Andrew A. Mahesan3, Tarnjot Saroya4, Abhinav Sinha5 Affiliations: 1MS IV, Spartan Health Sciences University: School of Medicine, Vieux-Fort, St.Lucia; 2MS III, Spartan Health Sciences University: School of Medicine, Vieux-Fort, St.Lucia; 3MS II, Ross University: School of Medicine, Dominica; 4MS III, Spartan Health Sciences University: School of Medicine, Vieux-Fort, St.Lucia; 5MD, Internal Medicine, North Vista Hospital, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Corresponding Author: Anthea Bhairave Mahesan Paul, Spartan Health Sciences University, School of Medicine, CHARCOS, P.O. Box 324, Vieux-Fort, Saint Lucia, West Indies; Email: [email protected] Received: 24 December 2015 Accepted: 03 February 2016 Published: 26 March 2016 the fact that adult intussusception though usually associated with malignancy in 2/3 of cases, a benign lesion may also rarely cause adult intussusception. colonic lipomatosis, though only accounting for 0.035–4.4% of all polypoid lesions in the colon, should kept in mind as one of the uncommon causes for intussusception in adults.