Mesenteric panniculitis

Case contributed by Bruno Di Muzio
Diagnosis probable

Presentation

Patient being treated for lymphoma with fever and abdominal pain.

Patient Data

Age: 60 years
Gender: Female

CT Abdomen and pelvis

ct

Prominent mesenteric lymph nodes associated with fat stranding/mesenteric haziness. 

Case Discussion

The previous staging CT (not shown) has shown most of the prominent mesenteric nodes, but no fat haziness. This is a presumptive case based on imaging appearances and clinical history. 

Mesenteric panniculitis is characterized by a chronic nonspecific inflammation involving the adipose tissue of the bowel mesentery. Although it is still unclear, an autoimmune response to unknown sources and ischemia of the mesentery have been proposed as pathogenetic mechanisms 1.

An association of mesenteric panniculitis and malignancy, mainly lymphoma, was previously indicated in the literature1

How to use cases

You can use Radiopaedia cases in a variety of ways to help you learn and teach.

Creating your own cases is easy.

Updating… Please wait.

 Unable to process the form. Check for errors and try again.

 Thank you for updating your details.