Omental panniculitis: an unusual cause of acute appendiceal syndrome

Lesser Omental Panniculitis

A 44-year-old woman presented to our hospital with abdominal pain. Abdominal ultrasonography and computed tomography showed a mass-like change in the lesser omentum between the liver and stomach. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy revealed a submucosal tumor-like change, and endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) revealed that the mass was located outside of the stomach wall. We performed EUS fine-needle aspiration and diagnosed panniculitis of the lesser omentum. Based on these findings, we suggest that mass-like lesions in the lesser omentum and submucosal tumor-like changes in the anterior wall on the lesser curvature side of the stomach be evaluated for the possibility of panniculitis of the lesser omentum.

Idiopathic Isolated Omental Panniculitis Confirmed by Percutaneous CT-Guided Biopsy

The preoperative diagnosis of intraabdominal panniculitis is difficult due to its rarity. However, the increased use of abdominal computed tomography (CT) for a variety of indications has increased the diagnosis of intraabdominal panniculitis, including omental panniculitis. The characteristic CT features of intraabdominal panniculitis are increased attenuation of the adipose tissue, the fat-ring sign, a tumoral pseudocapsule, soft-tissue nodules, and a left-sided orientation of mass maximum transverse diameter. Recognition of these features is valuable in the diagnosis of panniculitis, and hence percutaneous CT-guided biopsy to determine their presence may prevent unwarranted surgery. We report the case of a 61-year-old man found to have an idiopathic isolated omental panniculitis that was diagnosed by abdominal CT and percutaneous CT-guided biopsy.