Resumo

FATAHI BANDPEY, María Luiza et al. Mesenteric panniculitis as a rare cause of acute abdominal pain. Rev. argent. radiol. [online]. 2012, vol.76, n.4, pp.315-318. ISSN 1852-9992.

Mesenteric panniculitis is an unusual inflammatory disorder involving the adipose tissue of the mesentery and, less frequently, the mesocolon and the retroperitoneum. Patients may present with abdominal pain, diarrhea, weight loss or abdominal mass, and only rarely with symptoms of acute abdominal pain. In most cases, it is asymptomatic. Although the etiology of mesenteric panniculitis is unknown, ischemia, infection, abdominal trauma, previous abdominal surgery, and autoimmune disorders have been reported as possible causative agents. It has also been suggested its association with certain drugs, idiopathic inflammatory processes, and malignancy. Computed tomography (CT) is the gold standard imaging technique for its diagnosis; computed tomography findings may vary from increased attenuation of the mesentery to a solid soft-tissue mass depending on the predominant tissue component (fat, inflammation or fibrosis). We report 3 cases of patients who presented at the Emergency Department with acute abdominal pain and were diagnosed with mesenteric panniculitis.

Palavras-chave : Mesenteric panniculitis; Computed tomography; Abdominal pain; Acute abdomen.

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