Infarction of a lipoma of the lesser omentum: laparoscopic treatment of a rare condition

Infarction of the lesser omentum is an infrequent occurrence and is unfamiliar to most clinicians. Patients with this condition present with insidious epigastric pain, peritonitis on examination, and a normal white blood cell count. The computed tomographic scan reveals a focal ill-defined inflammatory mass with attendant fat stranding along the lesser curve of the stomach. In most patients, the diagnosis is secured at operation, although analgesics alone might be sufficient for management of this benign inflammatory condition. We present a case with the classic findings that was managed laparoscopically. Greater familiarity with focal infarction of lesser omental fat might lead to more nonoperative management in the future.