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Epiploic lipomatosis and lipomatous polyposis of the colon

University College Hospital, London W.C.1

This excerpt was created in the absence of an abstract.

Epiploic lipomatosis is a rare condition characterized by massive hypertrophy of the appendices epiploicae of the colon. It is thought to represent a hamartomatous proliferation of the fatty colonic tags and presents early in childhood, with abdominal pain, distension and diarrhoea. The case we wish to report had, in addition to the fatty intra-abdominal tumours, multiple lipomatous polyps in the colon and multiple subcutaneous lipomata. This case is of interest, not only because of its rarity but because it also demonstrates both regression and growth of the various lipomata during the 13 years of follow-up. This is a recognized feature of the hamartomatous type of neoplasm (Morson, personal communication).

The patient, presented at the age of nine months when his mother noticed a protruding abdomen and intermittent diarrhoea. He was thought to have coeliac disease but a gluten-free diet had no effect on his symptoms. In 1964, at the age of four, he was again seen because of abdominal swelling and his mother had also noted swellings on his scalp, right axilla and back. Clinically, at this stage, he was found to have a soft abdominal mass with a "doughy" feel and further masses of fatty consistency on the scalp, axilla and back. Biochemical, haematological and stool analyses were normal, as was the jejunal biopsy. A plain abdominal radiograph (Fig. 1) showed a large, tabulated soft tissue mass in the left side of the abdomen, displacing bowel upwards and to the right.

Received for publication March 1, 1976.