Intra-abdominal cystic lymphangiomas

In conclusion, the case reports of two patients with intra-abdominal lymphangiomas recently operated on by the author and another surgeon on the staff of Ellis Hospital are presented in detail. Also, additional case histories of cystic lymphangiomas operated on by six other surgeons on the staffs of Ellis and St. Clare's Hospitals in the ten year period from 1951 to 1961 are reported. Of the total of eight cysts, four occurred in children between the ages of five months and ten years, and four in adults between twenty-eight and sixty-four years of age. Five were female and three were male patients. The patients were cared for by eight different surgeons and only two of the eight cases were suspected or predicted. All of the remaining were diagnosed as acute conditions of the abdomen, such as intussusception, intestinal obstructions or pelvic tumors. Five of the cysts were successfully enucleated; the other three required resection of the adjacent jejunum or ileum. All eight patients recovered uneventfully and there were no postoperative complications.