Leiomyomatosis peritonealis disseminata associated with appendiceal endometriosis: a case report

INTRODUCTION: Leiomyomatosis peritonealis disseminata is a very rare benign condition of the peritoneal cavity that may mimic peritoneal carcinomatosis or metastatic leiomyosarcomas. It mainly develops in association with pregnancy, but is also rarely associated with endometriosis. CASE PRESENTATION: A 31-year-old Asian woman presented to our hospital with abdominal pain in the right lower quadrant. Her abdominopelvic computed tomography scan showed a 1.2cm-sized nodule at the appendiceal tip, but no other abnormal findings. We suspected acute appendicitis and performed an exploratory laparoscopy. Her appendix was enlarged at the tip portion. Also noted were blood-colored fluid collections in her pelvic cavity and bilateral ovarian cysts. Additionally, several small whitish firm solid nodules, ranging from 0.5 to 1.0cm in size, were present on her pelvic peritoneum. Her histological examination confirmed that the endometriosis of her appendix coexisted with leiomyomatosis peritonealis disseminata. CONCLUSIONS: We report a case involving a 31-year-old woman with acute symptoms of endometriosis of the appendix associated with leiomyomatosis peritonealis disseminata. Appendiceal endometriosis with leiomyomatosis peritonealis disseminata presenting as acute appendicitis is extremely rare. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first such case reported in the literature.