Cystic lymphangioma of the gall bladder: common disease at uncommon site

Abstract

Abstract Background Cystic lymphangiomas are benign vascular malformations of lymphatic differentiation. They usually occur in childhood and are commonly seen in the head and neck region. Lymphangioma of the gallbladder is extremely rare, and only a handful of cases have been reported in the literature. Case presentation A 56-year-old female presented to the outpatient department for evaluation of right upper quadrant abdominal pain which had been bothering her for the past few months. Abdominal ultrasonography revealed an ill-defined septated cystic lesion surrounding the gallbladder (GB) which was initially thought to be a collection. However, contrast-enhanced computed tomography of abdomen showed a well-marginated fluid density lesion in the gall bladder fossa which was insinuating around the gall bladder and was encasing it. No intralesional enhancement was seen after contrast administration. MRI confirmed the well-defined, multiseptated lesion without any solid component in the gall bladder fossa encasing the GB but without any abnormal communication with the biliary tree. Therefore, a final diagnosis of slow flow lymphatic malformation was formulated. The patient underwent exploratory laparotomy, and the mass was resected en bloc with the GB. Histological evaluation was consistent with lymphatic malformation. Conclusions GB lymphangioma is a rare entity and is difficult to diagnose. While the imaging characteristics are essentially similar to lymphangiomas elsewhere in the body, the location is peculiar and should warrant a thorough evaluation by the means of CT and more importantly MRI.