Villous Tumor of the Appendix Presenting with Acute Appendicitis: Report of A Case

Takafumi Sekino and Ken-ichiro Tateyama

Department of Surgery, Kisogawa Municipal Hospital

Villous tumor of the appendix is uncommon. A 68-year-old woman was admitted because of abdominal pain localized at McBurney's point. Blood tests showed a white blood cell count of 15,000/μl and C-reactive protein of 0.6mg/dl consistent with a diagnosis of acute appendicitis. Ultrasonography of the cecum and appendix showed irregular wall thickening with a hypoechoic pattern. We suspected a cecal tumor associated with acute appendicitis. Barium enema and colonoscopy disclosed a villous tumor of the orifice of the appendix, and biopsy specimens of the tumor showed tubulovillous adenoma. Laparoscopic partial cecoctomy was conducted, considering the possibility of early-stage cancer. The villous tumor was located from the distal end of the appendix to the cecum. Histologically, it was negative for malignancy. Ultrasonography was useful in preoperative diagnosis.

Key words
villous tumor of the appendix, ultrasonography, laparoscopy

Reprint requests
Takafumi Sekino Department of Surgery, Gujo Central Hospital 1264 Shimatani, Hachiman-cho Gujo-gun, Gifu, 501-4222 JAPAN

Accepted
July 30, 2001

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