Sclerosing Mesenteritis - An Arduous Task for C Linicians: Rare Case Report

Abstract

Sclerosing mesenteritis (SM) is a rare, chronic, benign fibrosing condition of small and large bowel mesentery, found incidentally in half of reported cases. This disease generally has an indolent course, eventually may present with significant morbidities and unusually, death. 1,2 Among the mesentery attached to small and large bowel, SM mainly affects that surrounding small intestine and only rarely the mesentery around the latter. Its etiology is unknown, while the pathogenesis is obscure and pathological characteristics of the disease are nonspecific. 3 Patients may have varied clinical manifestations and present with abdominal pain, fever, chylous ascites, abdominal mass, constipation, gastrointestinal bleeding or diarrhoea and in rare cases, with small bowel obstruction. As clinical presentations and imaging patterns are nonspecific, a proper coordination between radiologists, surgeons and pathologists is essential and only histopathological analysis, provides a sound diagnosis of SM masses. 1,2 As very few cases have been reported in literature, we hereby document a rare and interesting case of SM of small bowel in an elderly female.