A rare cause of abdominal pain: Mesenteric panniculitis

Abstract

A 54-year-old woman presented to the emergency department with complaint of abdominal pain lasting for 3 days. Her abdominal pain was in the epigastric region spreading to the left lower quadrant. Oral and IV contrasted abdominal computed tomography (CT) revealed inflammation surrounded by heterogeneous pseudocapsule in the mesenteric fatty tissue starting from the mesenteric root. This inflammation encircled the mesenteric artery and veins and there was a fat halo sign around the vein (Fig. 1). The patient’s condition significantly improved with conservative treatment including antibiotics (ceftriaxone i.v.) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (diclofenac i.m.).