Abstract
The term “misty mesentery” indicates a pathological increase in mesenteric fat attenuation at computed tomography (CT). It is frequently observed on multidetector CT (MDCT) scans performed during daily clinical practice and may be caused by various pathological conditions, including oedema, inflammation, haemorrhage, neoplastic infiltration or sclerosing mesenteritis. In patients suffering from acute abdominal disease, misty mesentery may be considered a feature of the underlying disease. Otherwise, it may represent an incidental finding on MDCT performed for other reasons. This article describes the MDCT features of misty mesentery in different diseases in order to provide a rational approach to the differential diagnosis.
Riassunto
Il termine mesentere nebuloso indica un incremento patologico della densità del tessuto adiposo mesenterico alla tomografia computerizzata (TC). Tale reperto può essere causato da molteplici condizioni patologiche tra cui edema, flogosi, emorragia, infiltrazione neoplastica o panniculite mesenterica. In pazienti con quadro clinico di addome acuto, il mesentere nebuloso può essere considerato un aspetto diagnostico sentinella della patologia sottostante. Talora rappresenta un reperto incidentale in pazienti non acuti, sottoposti ad esame TC per altre ragioni. Con questa revisione ci proponiamo di descrivere le caratteristiche TC del mesentere nebuloso in differenti condizioni patologiche, al fine di fornire un approccio razionale alla diagnosi differenziale.
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Filippone, A., Cianci, R., Di Fabio, F. et al. Misty mesentery: a pictorial review of multidetector-row CT findings. Radiol med 116, 351–365 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11547-010-0610-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11547-010-0610-4