Peritoneal Sarcoidosis: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Objectives: This study was performed to report a patient with peritoneal sarcoidosis and review the literature for similar cases.

Methods: We described the clinical presentation, course, and outcome of the patient, and reviewed the medical literature from 1966 till 1997 using MEDLINE and the key words sarcoidosis, scar, and peritoneum.

Results: Our patient presented with a rapidly growing tumor-like mass at the site of an old appendectomy scar. Laparoscopy showed a large peritoneal mass and multiple small peritoneal nodules that were found to be noncaseating granulomas by pathology. The MEDLINE search uncovered only 16 cases of peritoneal sarcoidosis, most of which presented with ascites.

Conclusion: This case illustrates the need to consider sarcoidosis, in addition to infections and neoplasms, in the differential diagnosis of peritoneal nodules and exudative ascites.