[Mucocele of the appendix: an unusual finding in a patient with ulcerative colitis].

BACKGROUND

Patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) or Crohn's disease (CD) have an increased risk for the development of colorectal dysplasia and carcinoma. Although appendiceal inflammation occurs histologically in 40-86% of colectomy specimens from patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), appendiceal neoplasms have been reported only infrequently, and the notion of a direct association between IBD and appendiceal neoplasia is speculative.

METHODS

A 54-year-old male patient developed abdominal pain and bloody diarrhea 3 years prior. Colonoscopy and biopsy established the diagnosis of UC (proctosigmoiditis). Disease activity was moderate at the beginning and the patient initially received medical treatment with mesalazine and prednisone. He was admitted to our clinic for right lower abdominal pain. Physical examination revealed tenderness on palpation at this site. Laboratory tests were normal (including serum carcinoembryonic antigen and CA 19-9). Colonoscopy showed intrinsic compression of the cecum. The patient underwent partial cecum resection and extirpation of the mucocele. He presented postsurgical ileus resolved with medical treatment. Final histological report revealed cystadenoma of the appendix. At the 20-month follow-up, the patient was in satisfactory condition.

CONCLUSIONS

We present the eighth patient, to our knowledge, with a primary cystadenoma of the appendix and UC. Special attention should be paid to patients with extraordinary symptoms during follow-up, even in UC patients.