LIPOMAS OF THE GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT

Abstract
Gastrointestinal lipomas constitute an uncommon and benign lesion which may cause symptoms like those resulting from malignant tumors. In a study of 72 tumors in 70 patients, the tumor was found predominantly in the small and large intestines. Symptoms such as bleeding, pain, and obstruction occur in direct proportion to the size of the tumor. The most reliable means of identifying gastrointestinal lipomas is by roentgenographic study in which the relative radiolucency of the fatty tissue as well as the compressibility of the tumor are helpful signs for the suspicion of this tumor.