DOI: 10.36347/sasjs.2021.v07i04.003

Pages: 169-171

Introduction: Mesenteric panniculitis is a nonspecific inflammatory process affecting the fatty tissue at the root of the mesentery. It is characterized by the association of inflammation, necrosis or fibrosis involving the adipose tissue of the bowel mesentery. The pathophysiology of this disease remains unclear. When symptomatic, patients may present with abdominal pain, palpable abdominal mass or intestinal obstruction. The disease remains asymptomatic in 30 to 50% of cases. Abdominal CT plays an important role in suggesting the diagnosis. Medical treatment may consist of therapy with anti inflammatory or immunosuppressive agents. Surgical treatment should be exclusively attempted when intestinal obstruction or ischemia occur. Mesenteric panniculitis usually has an uneventful clinical course and resolves spontaneously in a variable delay. Observation: we report the case of a 35-year-old patient with no pathologic history, admitted to the emergency departments for the management of intense epigastric abdominal pain associated with a few episodes of vomiting. The diagnosis of mesenteric panniculitis was retained on an abdominal CT, the treatment consisted of corticosteroid therapy with good evolution. Conclusion: Mesenteric panniculitis is a rare pathology. The diagnosis is most often mentioned on imaging and requires histological confirmation given of the many differential diagnoses on imaging. Only the symptomatic forms require the initiation of treatment. The natural course of PM is good.