A rare case of benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma misdiagnosed as hydatid cyst found in the liver parenchyma and abdomen cavity of a male with asbestos exposure

BACKGROUND: Benign Multicystic Peritoneal Mesothelioma (BMPM) is one of the rarest diseases in medicine with only more than 200 cases worldwide. This paper aims to report a case of Benign Multicystic Peritoneal Mesothelioma that strangely arose from the liver and was long treated as Hydatid cyst. The case also had many risk factors including asbestos exposure that had not yet been linked with Benign Multicystic Peritoneal Mesothelioma. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a case of a 62 years old male with a history of a perforated peptic ulcer and a cystic mass in the liver that was misdiagnosed as hydatid cyst 7 years ago. He presented with generalized abdominal pain and bloating. Image studies showed many cystic formations filled with clear fluid. An en bloc surgery was performed and a pathologic study showed a multiloculated mass lined by flat or cuboidal epithelium leading to the diagnosis of BMPM. A follow up was scheduled after 3 months revealed total recurrence. CONCLUSION: BMPM resembles many other cystic lesions in the abdomen and should be taken into consideration when dealing with nontypical cystic formations. Its diagnostic and treatment methods are still hazy making this disease difficult to approach.