Lipogranuloma of Mesentery Producing Abdominal Mass

The surgeon may be confused as to the nature of the lesion when he first encounters a large mass, in the mesentery of the small bowel, produced by a lipogranuloma. The lesion should be recognized as a benign process for which biopsy is the only feasible surgical procedure. These masses are thought to be the result of degenerative and mild chronic inflammatory changes in the fat. There have been several reports in recent years concerning these lesions.^1,2,4,6

Accurate terminology of this lesion is difficult because of the poorly understood pathogenesis and clinical course. There are several interesting problems relative to the lesion such as the clinical manifestations of an asymptomatic palpable abdominal mass in some patients but recurrent abdominal pain in others, and a premortem diagnosis is possible only at the time of surgery. We have encountered the lesion in two patients. It seems likely that it is more