Mesenteric liposarcoma or lipodystrophy: an elusive diagnosis.
Mass lesions of the mesentery may be fortuitously encountered on computerized tomographic (CT) scans, posing a diagnostic challenge. Despite CT, magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and a surgical biopsy, a patient with mesenteric lipodystrophy was misdiagnosed as having a low-grade mesenteric liposarcoma. Spontaneous regression of the mass on control CT scan and review of the pathological material prompted us to reconsider the diagnosis of malignancy. Because a wide variety of tumors and pseudotumors produce alterations in the density and volume of mesenteric fat on CT scan, a surgical biopsy is usually necessary to obtain a tissue-specific diagnosis, but even then pathological findings may be equivocal. As final resort the natural evolution assessed by radiological follow-up can be of help in determining the nature of the disease.
Fremault
A
A
Department of Surgery, St Elisabeth Hospital, Brussels, Belgium.
Heylen
C
C
Delugeau
V
V
Landen
S
S
D001706:Biopsy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008080:Liposarcoma / Q000175:diagnosis; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008643:Mesentery / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D015436:Panniculitis, Peritoneal / Q000175:diagnosis*; D010534:Peritoneal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed