Spontaneous rupture of extraluminal jejunal gastrointestinal stromal tumor causing acute abdomen and hemoperitoneum

Ruptured gastro-intestinal stromal tumor as a surgical emergency: A case report and literature review

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are the most common mesenchymal tumors of the gastrointestinal tract. GISTs of the small bowel are rare, and often present with an abdominal mass and/or bleeding. Chemotherapy and surgery are the mainstay of therapy. Here, we discuss an unusual case of a ruptured jejunal GIST with hemoperitoneum and recurrence despite surgical excision followed by Imatinib treatment. Forty-five cases of ruptured small intestinal GISTs were identified in the literature. Most cases were in males and were found to be at the site of the jejunum.

Ruptured Small Intestinal Stromal Tumor Causing Concurrent Gastrointestinal and Intra-Abdominal Hemorrhage: A Case Report

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) originate from mesenchymal cells throughout the gastrointestinal tract. A common symptom is gastrointestinal hemorrhage; intra-abdominal hemorrhage is relatively rare. There are few reports of GIST presenting with both types of hemorrhage concurrently. A 77-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because of melena and anemia (Hb: 4.7 g/dL). Computed tomography revealed a small bowel tumor and high-density fluid in both the small intestine and the pelvic floor. We diagnosed a small intestinal tumor with concurrent gastrointestinal and intra-abdominal hemorrhage, and performed emergency surgery. The tumor arose from the small intestine and was ruptured. We found hemorrhage in the pelvic cavity and performed partial small intestine resection. Pathological findings revealed that the tumor was positive for c-Kit protein and was diagnosed as GIST. The patient was discharged from the hospital on postoperative day 9 and received imatinib 1 month postoperatively. We experienced a very rare case of ruptured GIST originating from the small intestine associated with both gastrointestinal and intra-abdominal hemorrhage. We also reviewed the relevant literature.

A giant jejunal gastrointestinal stromal tumor misconceived as pancreatic cystic neoplasm: A case report

INTRODUCTION

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs), although not common in gastrointestinal (GI) tumors, constitute the most frequent mesenchymal tumors of the GI tract. This report describes a patient with a large sporadic GIST at proximal jejunum that mimicked the pancreatic cystic neoplasm.

CASE PRESENTATION

We report a 59-year-old female patient with unexplained weight loss and palpable left upper quadrant abdominal mass for 6 months. Computed tomography (CT) scan demonstrated a heterogeneously mass measuring 10 cm in a maximal diameter at pancreatic body and tail. Laparotomy was done, and the tumor was found at proximal jejunum closed to the ligament of Treitz, so en bloc resection of the tumor was done. The pathological and immunohistochemical study confirmed GISTs.

DISCUSSION

Although most GISTs are originated from the intestine, they frequently arise from the stomach, the duodenum and rarely from the jejunum. And jejunal GISTs are usually asymptomatic. The misdiagnosis as mucinous cystadenoma of this case might be due to the proximity of the tumor to the body and tail of pancreas, and compressing the adjacent organ due to its large size.

CONCLUSION

GISTs are most frequently small and arising from the stomach. GISTs are rarely present as a large tumor of the jejunum, and particularly mimicked a pancreatic tumor.

An Ulcerated Ileal Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor Disguised as Acute Appendicitis

Background

Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) of the ileum is not a common differential to consider in the management of acute right iliac fossa (RIF) pain and tenderness. Finding of a normal-looking appendix intraoperatively should arouse the surgeon to explore further and look for other unanticipated pathologies. We present a case, clinically diagnosed as acute appendicitis and intraoperatively found to be an ulcerated ileal GIST.

Case Presentation

A 28-year-old female without previous comorbidities presented to the emergency unit with sudden pain around the umbilicus that later migrated and localized to the RIF for one day. There was associated intermittent fever and anorexia without urinary symptoms. Abdominal examination revealed guarding and rebound tenderness at RIF. Examination by 2 senior surgeons at different points of time, the same day, made a clinical diagnosis of acute appendicitis. Ultrasonogram (USG) was inconclusive. At laparotomy through Lanz incision, the appendix was found to be normal and no other pathology was identified on walking bowel up to 3 ft proximal to ileocecal junction (ICJ). Just when closure was thought of, an ulcerated lesion could be seen through the medial aspect of the incision. On further exploration, a 7 × 5 cm ulcerated lesion arising from the antimesenteric border of the ileum was noted with localized interloop hemoperitoneum and inflammatory exudates. Ileal segmental resection anastomosis was done with peritoneal toileting. The lesion was subsequently reported to be an ulcerated malignant GIST.

Conclusion

The commonest cause of RIF pain with localized peritonitis is an acutely inflamed appendix. Dilemma arises when the appendix is found to look normal. Further exploration is indicted to not miss other findings.

Small, spontaneously ruptured gastrointestinal stromal tumor in the small intestine causing hemoperitoneum: A case report

•

Hemoperitoneum is a rare and potentially life-threatening complication of GISTs.

•

Even small GISTs in the small intestine can rupture and cause hemoperitoneum.

•

Because of their high vascularity, ruptured GISTs can cause massive hemoperitoneum.

Introduction

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are clinically asymptomatic until they reach a significant size; therefore, GISTs that are 2 cm or less are typically asymptomatic. Patients with symptomatic GISTs typically present with abdominal pain, gastrointestinal bleeding, or a palpable mass but rarely present with hemoperitoneum.

Presentation of case

A 72-year-old Japanese man presented to us with acute onset abdominal pain. Physical examination showed peritoneal irritation in the lower abdomen. Findings of abdominal computed tomography were suggestive of hemoperitoneum; therefore, urgent surgery was performed. Approximately 1500 ml of blood in the abdominal cavity was removed. A small, ruptured mass was found in the middle of the small intestine, and partial resection of the small intestine, including the mass, was performed. The resected tumor was 2 cm in size and exhibited an exophytic growth pattern. Immunohistochemical staining revealed that the tumor was positive for KIT and CD34; therefore, a final diagnosis of GIST was made. Treatment with imatinib at 400 mg per day was started from postoperative month 1. The patient is doing well without recurrence 5 months after surgery.

Discussion

Even small GISTs in the small intestine can spontaneously rupture and cause hemoperitoneum. Moreover, when a patient presents with sudden abdominal pain and hemoperitoneum without an evident mass on imaging, clinicians should be aware of the possibility of bleeding from a small GIST in the small intestine.

Conclusion

We present an extremely rare case of a patient with a small, spontaneously ruptured GIST in the small intestine, resulting in hemoperitoneum.