Etiologic spectrum of mesenteric panniculitis:: report of 7 cases

Objective. - Mesenteric panniculitis is a rare disorder characterized by nonspecific inflammation and/or necrosis and/or fibrosis in the adipose tissue of the bowel mesentery. Its signification, primary or associated with other diseases, is a subject of controversy. Methods. - A descriptive and retrospective study of patients with an abdominal CT examination showing features of mesenteric panniculitis and for whom biopsy with immunohistochemical examination was obtained in all cases. Results. - Seven patients were enrolled (4 men and 3 women) with a median age of 62,1 years. None of the patients without an identified etiology had a history of abdominal surgery. An associated disease was identified in 4 cases: breast cancer (1), non-Hodgkin's lymphoma based on peripheric lymph nodes biopsy (2) and cryoglobulinemic vascularitis based on renal biopsy (1). In the 3 remaining cases, isolated mesenteric panniculitis was the only abnormality despite thorough imaging and pathologic investigations. Conclusion. - Except an obvious malignancy context or a history of abdominal surgery, a pathologic examination of the mesenteric panniculitis lesions is necessary, especially to eliminate another mesenteric disorder. Mesenteric panniculitis is often associated with lymphoma. (C) 2007 Elsevier Masson SAS. Tous droits reserves.