Multiple esophageal leiomyomas: a case report

Background: Primary intramural benign tumors of the esophagus are rare. Leiomyomas are the most common benign esophageal neoplasms. Multiple esophageal leiomyomas are very rare, with only a few reports on more than ten coexisting lesions. Case study: A male patient presented with progressing dysphagia and a tumor of the esophageal wall, over 10 cm in length, confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging and endoscopic ultrasound examination. There were no changes of the esophageal mucosa. Multiple fine needle aspirations were performed with inconclusive finding. Surgical exploration through right thoracotomy revealed multiple extramucosal tumors from 5 to 25 millimeters in size. A total of 16 tumors were removed by enucleation without opening the esophageal mucosa. Postoperative period was uneventful. Conclusion: Exact preoperative diagnosis of esophageal submucosal tumors may be difficult to establish without open biopsy. Removal by enucleation is the treatment of choice