[Mesenteric lymph node cavitation in celiac disease: Report of four cases and literature review].

INTRODUCTION Mesenteric lymph node cavitation is an exceptional complication of celiac disease. We report four original observations of this syndrome, completed by a literature review. DISCUSSION The analysis of 38 cases showed that this complication occurred exclusively in adults, with a mean age at diagnosis of 54 years. It revealed the celiac disease in the majority of cases. Hyposplenism was almost systematically associated. The risk of lymphoma appeared higher, especially enteropathy-associated T-cell lymphoma. The prognosis was poor with nearly 50% mortality and seemed related to the clinical response to the gluten-free diet. CONCLUSION The severity of this complication deserves to be known and should lead to its research in celiac patients, especially in cases diagnosed in adulthood or in case of refractory disease.