Sonographic detection of mesenteric panniculitis: Case report and literature review

An 86-year-old gentleman presented with a 3-month history of nausea, anorexia and excruciating generalised abdominal pain. He had been discharged a week earlier from another hospital. No diagnosis had been made. Clinically the patient was feverish, with a palpable, tender and poorly defined mass in his epigastrium. He had elevated inflammatory markers and deranged electrolytes. An ultrasound scan revealed thickening and hyper echogenicity of the small bowel mesentery. A CT scan was recommended; this revealed a diagnosis of mesenteric panniculitis. First described in 1924, mesenteric panniculitis is a benign inflammatory condition of the bowel mesentery. With only a handful of cases being reported in the UK, the authors thought that they had come across a rarity. This case report focuses on the aetiology, diagnosis, pathology and treatment of mesenteric panniculitis. By examining the literature, the authors also suggest that it is relatively underdiagnosed and may be more common than first thought.

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“…The male to female ratio is 1.8:13 and the condition tends to affect the older population. The aetiology is unknown.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The medical mystery of the fatty mesentery

Talwar

Rayner

2012

Case Reports

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“…There are few reports about the use of sonography in the evaluation of MP. [7][8][9][10][11][12][13] In our series, sonographic examination revealed a well-delineated hyperechoic and very homogeneous mass in 24 of the 26 cases. This finding correlates well with the CT characteristics of MP (ie, the tumoral pseudocapsule).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

“…Characteristic sonographic findings for the fatty mesenteric mass included diffuse homogeneous hyperechogenicity (25/26 patients) ( Figure 4) with good sound transmission through it. 7,8 These features allowed us to distinguish MP from the enlarged intra-abdominal fat, which shows a heterogeneous pattern, with echogenicity similar to the rest of intra-abdominal fat, without well-defined margins and with poor sound transmission.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sonographic findings of mesenteric panniculitis: Correlation with CT and literature review

Roson

Garriga

Cuadrado

et al. 2006

J of Clinical Ultrasound

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“…According to our literature search, acute panniculitis involving the breasts is rarely reported. The sonographic appearance of this condition involving other sites, e.g., the mesentery, has been reported, 3 continuation of the disease process deep into the intraglandular fat of the breast was also understandable as part of a diffuse inflammatory process. The glandular tissue of the breasts was totally normal in appearance.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%