Radiofrequency ablation is a promising minimally invasive therapy for renal cell carcinoma in patients who are not good operative candidates. Small size and noncentral location are favorable tumor characteristics, although large tumors can sometimes be successfully treated with multiple ablation sessions.

Acute epiploic appendagitis most commonly manifests with acute lower quadrant pain. Its clinical features are similar to those of acute diverticulitis or, less commonly, acute appendicitis. The conditions that may mimic acute epiploic appendagitis at computed tomography (CT) include acute omental infarction, mesenteric panniculitis, fat-containing tumor, and primary and secondary acute inflammatory processes in the large bowel (eg, diverticulitis and appendicitis). Whereas the location of acute epiploic appendagitis is most commonly adjacent to the sigmoid colon, acute omental infarction is typically located in the right lower quadrant and often is mistaken for acute appendicitis. It is important to correctly diagnose acute epiploic appendagitis and acute omental infarction on CT images because these conditions may be mistaken for acute abdomen, and the mistake may lead to unnecessary surgery. The CT features of acute epiploic appendagitis include an oval lesion 1.5-3.5 cm in diameter, with attenuation similar to that of fat and with surrounding inflammatory changes, that abuts the anterior sigmoid colon wall. The CT features of acute omental infarction include a well-circumscribed triangular or oval heterogeneous fatty mass with a whorled pattern of concentric linear fat stranding between the anterior abdominal wall and the transverse or ascending colon. As CT increasingly is used for the evaluation of acute abdomen, radiologists are likely to see acute epiploic appendagitis and its mimics more often. Recognition of these conditions on CT images will allow appropriate management of acute abdominal pain and may help to prevent unnecessary surgery.

No abstract

The celiac plexus is the largest visceral plexus and is located deep in the retroperitoneum, over the anterolateral surface of the aorta and around the origin of the celiac trunk. It serves as a relay center for nociceptive impulses that originate from the upper abdominal viscera, from the stomach to the proximal transverse colon. Celiac plexus neurolysis, with agents such as ethanol, is an effective means of diminishing pain that arises from these structures. Percutaneous imaging-guided celiac plexus neurolysis has been established as an invaluable therapeutic option in the management of intractable abdominal pain in patients with upper abdominal malignancy. The use of multidetector computed tomography (CT) for imaging guidance has superseded other modalities and allows direct visualization of the spread of the neurolytic agent in the antecrural space. Accurate depiction of the retroperitoneal anatomy and the position of the needle tip helps avoid crucial anatomic structures such as the pancreas, aorta, celiac artery, and superior mesenteric artery. Proper patient education, meticulous preprocedure planning, use of optimal multidetector CT techniques, adjunctive CT maneuvers, and postprocedure care are integral to successful celiac plexus neurolysis. Celiac plexus neurolysis does not completely abolish pain; rather, it diminishes pain, helping to reduce opioid requirements and their related side effects and improving survival in patients with upper abdominal malignancy.

Features that suggest autoimmune pancreatitis include focal or diffuse pancreatic enlargement, with minimal peripancreatic inflammation and absence of vascular encasement or calcification at CT and endoscopic US, and diffuse irregular narrowing of main pancreatic duct, with associated multiple biliary strictures at ERCP.