Intra-abdominal inflammatory myofibroblastic pseudotumor: case report and review of the literature

Abstract

Inflammatory myofibroblastic pseudotumors (IPM) are very rare tumor characterized by unpredictable clinical behaviour. They arise in soft tissues of almost every organ and the most common site is the lung. Over 200 cases of inflammatory myofibroblastic pseudotumor of the lung have been described in literature. Intra-abdominal IMP are very rare. We describe a case of intra-abdominal IMP in a boy of 15 years old who presented symptoms and signs of acute appendicitis. Exploratory laparotomy revealed a mass in the peritoneal cavity. The mass was removed. The histologic examination showed that it was an IMP. Surgical treatment was the only therapy. Six months after the surgical operation the patient has no sign of illness.