title: Mesenteric panniculitis: prevalence, clinicoradiological presentation and 5-year follow-up.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine prevalence, clinicoradiological characteristics and outcome of patients with mesenteric panniculitis (MP) in a large hospital-based population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Consecutive abdominal CT examinations of 3820 patients were evaluated for MP. Clinical characteristics, therapy and outcome of patients with MP were evaluated during a 5-year follow-up period. A matched pair analysis was performed to further investigate the relation between MP and malignancy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  94 (2.5%) patients with MP were identified (mean age, 66.6 ± 11.2 years, 70.2% male). MP coexisted with malignancy (especially prostatic carcinoma) in 48.9% of patients, and this was slightly but significantly higher than in age- and sex-matched control patients (n = 188, 46.3%). In 48 patients, MP was presumed to be idiopathic. The most frequent presenting symptom was pain (54.3%). Laboratory findings revealed increased acute-phase reactants in half of the patients with MP. CT findings included increased density of mesenterial fat (mean, -56.8 ± 10.8 HU), fat ring sign, tumoural pseudocapsule and small soft-tissue nodules. Patients with MP (14.6%) developed significantly more malignancies during a 5-year follow-up than did the control group (6.9%). One patient was treated with prednisone without satisfactory response.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of MP in this study was 2.5%. In most patients, radiologic features included increased mesenteric fat density, fat ring sign and small soft-tissue nodules. MP was associated with a significant higher prevalence of coexisting malignancies and a higher prevalence of future cancer development.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A more accurate prevalence of MP on CT is demonstrated. An underlying malignancy may play a role.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Radiology, Albert Schweitzer Ziekenhuis, Netherlands.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: van Putte-Katier
authors.forename: E F H
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: van Bommel
authors.forename: O E
authors.initials: OE
authors.lastname: Elgersma
authors.forename: T R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Hendriksz
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D015436:Panniculitis, Peritoneal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*