[Mesenteric panniculitis: a case of acute and fatal presentation]

Mesenteric panniculitis is a rare process in which there is an inflammation of the mesenteric adipose tissue due to unknown causes and mechanisms. It evolves with abdominal pain and/or mass, among other symptoms, generally with a chronic and bening course. The concomitant tests are generally non-specific, the diagnosis being anatompathological. We present the case of an old woman who died hours after starting an episode of abdominal pain. The autopsy showed the presence of mesenteric panniculitis. The sudden onset of the clinical signs, without other justifying cause than the panniculitis itself, suggests that this must be considered in the differential diagnosis of acute abdominal pain. In addition, the absence of other morphological findings which could suggest a fatal cause make us to consider the relationship between this and the panniculitis.