Nonetheless, corticosteroids and other medications directed at lowering the degree of inflammation and other medications that improve symptoms are felt to be the mainstay of treatment for mesenteric panniculitis. Due to the rarity of mesenteric panniculitis, there is little prospective data available on its treatment. There is limited information on the natural history of mesenteric panniculitis, but a stable clinical course is generally anticipated. However, not every patient suspected of having the disease will require a biopsy. Tissue biopsy is required to secure the diagnosis of mesenteric panniculitis and rule out neoplastic infiltration of the mesentery. Due to its variable clinical presentation and rarity, the diagnosis of mesenteric panniculitis is often delayed. A computerized tomogram (CT) or other imaging of the abdomen shows thickening of the mesentery, sometimes with lymph node enlargement. Systemic symptoms, especially fatigue, commonly occur in patients with mesenteric panniculitis. Some individuals have few or no noticeable symptoms others may be greatly affected by a variety of complaints including abdominal pain, nausea/vomiting, bloating, early satiety, loss of appetite and diarrhea or constipation. Although the exact cause of mesenteric panniculitis remains unknown, the disease has been associated with a variety of other conditions, including neoplasms, other autoimmune diseases and abdominal trauma.Ĭlinical symptoms of mesenteric panniculitis are highly variable. The portion of the mesentery that is adjacent to the small intestine is most often affected in mesenteric panniculitis.

Recently, the anatomy of the mesentery has been clarified and the mesentery has been found to represent a continuous organ that extends from the duodenojejunal flexure to the mesorectum. Anatomists previously considered it to be a fragmented collection of intra-abdominal connective tissue. The mesentery contains fat, blood vessels, lymphatic tissue, lymphatic vessels and other forms of connective tissue. The mesentery is a fold of tissue within the peritoneum that supports and attaches the small and large intestines to the walls of the abdomen. There is currently limited understanding of the progression of events that lead to the development of mesenteric panniculitis. This inflammatory and at times progressive condition is most consistent with autoimmune disorders. Mesenteric panniculitis is characterized by fat degeneration and necrosis, chronic inflammation, and at times, scarring and fibrosis of fatty tissue within the mesentery. Mesenteric panniculitis, also known as sclerosing mesenteritis, belongs to a spectrum of rare diseases of the fatty (adipose) tissue of the mesentery. 5 Myths About Orphan Drugs and the Orphan Drug Act.Information on Clinical Trials and Research Studies.

Shotty lymph nodes in groin