Appendix mucinous cystadenoma mimicking a right adnexal mass

Abstract

Appendix mucocele is a mass formed by the dilatation of appendix lumen due to abnormal mucinous secretions. It develops as a result of epithelial proliferation, mucinous secretion, and luminal dilatation on the background of mucosal hyperplasia, mucinous cystadenoma, or mucinous cystadenocarcinoma. Appendix mucinous cystadenoma is the most common type that may have different clinical presentations. The preoperative diagnosis remains difficult and the pathology is usually detected during laparotomy. Despite concerns about the rupture risk of appendix mucoceles, laparoscopic surgery has been increasingly used for its treatment. Perforation of a lesion and spread of its contents into abdominal cavity produces a condition known as pseudomyxoma peritonei. In this paper we report a case of 75-year-old woman who was taken to the operating room to be operated for a right adnexial mass and but ultimately underwent laparoscopic appendectomy after detecting an appendix mucocele in laparoscopic exploration. [Cukurova Med J 2016; 41(3.000): 570-572]

Keywords

• Appendix
• laparoscopic appendectomy
• mucocele