Lymphangioma of the Small-Bowel Mesentery: Unusual Cause of Intestinal Obstruction

Lymphangiomas are benign tumors arising from congenital malformation of the lymphatics (1). They are most common in the head and neck regions, especially in children (2). Intraabdominal lymphangiomas are rare, and they may develop in the retroperitoneum and in the mesentery or wall of the small or large bowel (3). We present two unusual cases of small-bowel obstruction caused by benign mesenteric lymphangiomas, one in a 30-year-old woman and the other in a 3-year-old child.