Lymphangiomatosis of the sigmoid colon a rare cause of lower gastrointestinal bleeding: A case report and review of the literature

The present study reports the case of a 79-year-old Chinese man who presented to The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University (Xi'an, China) for the treatment of lower gastrointestinal bleeding. Multiple cystic masses in the sigmoid colon were observed with colonoscopy, and through endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), these cystic masses were confirmed to be echo-free and to exhibit septal walls in the submucosal layer; in consequence, lymphangiomatosis of the sigmoid colon was diagnosed. Considering the repeated bleeding, laparoscopy-assisted partial sigmoid colon resection was performed. The excised specimens were multiple vesicular and soft masses of 1 cm in diameter, which were located in the submucosal layer and were surrounded by flat endothelial cells. Immunohistochemistry revealed that the specimens were positive for the specific lymphatic endothelial marker D2-40. The pathological diagnosis was consistent with the EUS findings. In the 2-year follow-up after the operation, no bleeding or other complications were noticed.