Computed tomography of mesenteric involvement in fulminant pancreatitis.

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Although extension into the mesentery has been recognized as a frequent pathway of extrapancreatic spread in acute pancreatitis, it has received relatively little attention in the computed tomography (CT) literature. The medical records and CT scans of 55 patients with severe pancreatitis were reviewed in this study; of these patients, 19 (35%) had mesenteric abnormalities, which in 11 patients (20%) represented the most extensive extrapancreatic site of involvement. In fulminant pancreatitis, dissection along the mesentery is an important pathway for spread of pancreatic abscesses or phlegmons. Clinical correlation suggests that a combination of mesenteric with lesser sac and anterior pararenal space involvement is frequently associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Of the 19 patients with mesenteric involvement, 2 died and 14 (74%) required surgery for abscesses, pseudocysts or, in 1 case, a colonic fistula. The CT features of the normal mesentery and CT criteria for diagnosing mesenteric inflammatory lesions are reviewed.

This publication has 2 references indexed in Scilit: