ABSTRACT
Gastrointestinal lipomas are benign adipose tumors that are usually submucosal, and most commonly found in the colon. However, they have also been discovered in the small bowel, stomach and very rarely in the esophagus. Although most of gastrointestinal lipomas are asymptomatic and are found incidentally at time of endoscopy, surgery or autopsy, large lipomas can cause acute abdominal pain, bowel habit changes, gastrointestinal bleeding, intussusception or bowel obstruction. Lipomas can be diagnosed by colonoscopy, abdominal CT, barium series and endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS). Large lipomas need to be treated using various techniques. However, the best treatment modality for large lipomas has not yet been established. A surgical resection of lipomas should be considered for a giant lipoma >2 cm in diameter due to the risk of perforation or hemorrhage. Currently, endoscopic snare polypectomy or endo-loop ligation is used to treat symptomatic lipomas, which may reduce the risk of complications associated with endoscopic treatment. We report a case of giant colonic lipoma that was diagnosed successfully with EUS and treated safely using an endoscopic unroofing technique, endoloop ligation and snare polypectomy in phases.