Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2025 May 8;17(5):e83700.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.83700. eCollection 2025 May.

Mesenteric Inflammatory Myofibroblastic Tumor in an Infant: A Case Report and Literature Review

Rola Abu Alwafa  1   2 , Amna Akkawi  1   2 , Qutaiba Mahmoud  3 , Jehad I Zuhd  4   2 , Samer Bustame  2
Affiliations
Case Reports

Mesenteric Inflammatory Myofibroblastic Tumor in an Infant: A Case Report and Literature Review

Rola Abu Alwafa et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) is a rare mesenchymal neoplasm predominantly affecting children and young adults. Here, we present a case of IMT incidentally discovered in the mesentery of a six-month-old infant, managed through radical surgery. The patient initially presented with decreased oral intake and post-feeding vomiting, leading to the discovery of a large pelvic mass. Following comprehensive evaluation and multidisciplinary management, including surgical excision, the patient experienced a favorable clinical outcome. Histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of IMT, highlighting the importance of accurate diagnosis and appropriate management strategies for this rare entity.

Keywords: inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (imt); mesenchymal neoplasm; multidisciplinary management; pediatric oncology; radical surgery.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Human subjects: Consent for treatment and open access publication was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Institutional Review Board of An-Najah National University issued approval NA. Informed consent was obtained from the patient's father. The Institutional Review Board of An-Najah National University waives approval for case reports and requires only informed consent from the participant. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Abdominal CT scan
CT scan showed a well-defined, bilobed, heterogeneously enhancing mass lesion measuring approximately 7.5 × 3.5 × 4.5 cm, with surrounding inflammatory changes and free fluid in the left paramidline lower abdomen, anterior to the iliac vessels, displacing adjacent bowel loops (A: sagittal view, B: axial view, C: coronal view).
Figure 2
Figure 2. Intraoperative images
A: Anterior surface of mesentery. B: Posterior surface of mesentery.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Histopathological sections
A: Immunohistochemical (IHC) staining shows diffuse expression of ALK in tumor cells. B: H&E stain shows proliferation of spindled fibroblasts and myofibroblasts in a background of highly vascularized stroma and mixed inflammatory cells.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (Article in German) Leuschner I. Pathologe. 2010;31:106–108. - PubMed
    1. Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors: current update. Surabhi VR, Chua S, Patel RP, Takahashi N, Lalwani N, Prasad SR. https://www.radiologic.theclinics.com/article/S0033-8389(15)00239-0/abst.... Radiol Clin North Am. 2016;54:553–563. - PubMed
    1. Shedding light on inflammatory pseudotumor in children: spotlight on inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor. Lai LM, McCarville MB, Kirby P, et al. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00247-015-3360-6. Pediatr Radiol. 2015;45:1738–1752. - PubMed
    1. Large inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor of the esophagus: a case report and literature review. Yamada H, Funasaka K, Nakagawa M, et al. Intern Med. 2023;62:3473–3477. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Colonic inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor. Wang Y, Zhuang Y, Pan Y. http://854-855. J Gastrointest Surg. 2021;25:854–855. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources