A Rare Cause of Childhood Ileus: Giant Mesenteric Lipoma and a Review of the Literature

Mesenteric lipomas are benign tumors of mature fat cells. They are usually asymptomatic and create a clinical picture that depends on the localization and size of the lipoma. Although rare, unusually large mesenteric giant lipomas can cause partial or complete bowel obstruc-tion. Lipomas resulting in partial bowel obstruction can present with symptoms such as intermittent abdominal pain and abdominal disten-tion. With complete obstruction, a child can present with an acute ab-domen. Treatment is the excision of the mass along with the affected portion of bowel. In this case study, a 2-year-old female presented with a bowel obstruction due to the presence of a giant mesenteric lipoma. Clinical features of 16 cases published in the English literature to date are presented