A systematic investigation of sclerosing mesenteritis through CT and MRI

Sclerosing mesenteritis is primarily diagnosed through histologic and radiologic evaluation; however, only a few works provide a systematic description using MRI. This work presents the case of a 68-year-old male, who was admitted for a routine cholecystectomy. Intraoperativly, a large mass was identified dislocating the abdominal viscera. The microscopic examination revealed vascular congestion of the omentum. The contrast-enhanced CT and MRI scans revealed the presence of a heterogenous, lipomatous mass with lesions visible only in T2W and contrast-enhanced T1W MRI. Based on these findings, the diagnosis of sclerosing mesenteritis was made. According to the available literature, depending on the stage of sclerosing mesenteritis, different radiologic features are encountered; however, it is possible that features from more than one form of the condition coexist in the same lesion. We therefore suggest that a combination of MRI sequences should be acquired for a more accurate staging of the condition.