Appendiceal Mucocele

Appendiceal mucocele (AM) is a descriptive term for dilated appendiceal lumen, occasionally observed in either symptomatic or asymptomatic patients during colonoscopy. Endoscopically, AM looks like submucosal tumor of the cecum, and may mimic lipoma, gastrointestinal stromal tumor, or neuroendocrine tumor. Etiological factors range from inflammatory to neoplastic, and right hemicolectomy is the treatment of choice. The biopsy of lesion during colonoscopy should be avoided to prevent serious complications at surgery; preoperative diagnosis by other imaging studies should be confirmed. Here a patient is presented with symptomatic AM. This article is part of an expert video encyclopedia.