Peritoneal Cyst

This 8-centimeter cyst was incidentally found at hysterectomy floating free in the peritoneal cavity, a Zeppelin of the abdomen, if you will. Before making the diagnosis of this benign lesion, it is important for the pathologist to quiz the surgeon concerning the intra-abdominal findings. A cyst excised from a multicystic mesothelioma may look similar to this, and while multicystic mesothelioma may not be a true neoplasm, it has a stubborn tendency to recur locally.

The original photo was taken with a Nikon FE2, Nikkor macro lens, and Ektachrome Elite 100 film. The subject was lit by 4 photofloods. The film is balanced for daylight, so a blue compensation filter was used. The transparency was scanned with a Polaroid SprintScan 35 and edited with Photoshop 3.04. Digital editing included using the Dust and Scratches filter to remove lint from the background, and employing the Levels command to balance the dynamic range.