CLINICAL CASES   

Chirurgia 2009 February;22(1):35-7

Copyright © 2009 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Giant granular cell tumour of the middle oesophagus

Ezemba N. ¹, Okafor O. C. ², Ekpe E. E. ¹

¹ Department of Surgery University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, Nigeria 2 Department of Morbid Anatomy University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, Nigeria

Granular cell tumour of the oesophagus is a rare disease often discovered incidentally. Symptomatic ones are generally small and can be treated by either endoscopic resection or enucleation. Giant granular cell tumours of the middle oesophagus with near total dysphagia had rarely been reported. We present one case of giant granular cell tumour of the middle oesophagus in a 56-year old Nigerian woman causing near complete obstruction of the lumen. Preoperative diagnosis was difficult. Exploratory thoracotomy, subtotal oesophagectomy and oesophageal substitution with colon was curative. Giant granular cell tumour of the oesophagus in which malignancy cannot be ruled out with certainty should be explored by thoracotomy.