Low-Dose Steroid Medication is Effective for Mesenteric Panniculitis: A Case Report

A 33-year-old man admitted to our hospital for fever elevation and abdominal pain, was found in CT scans to have an enhanced lesion in thickened mesentery. Although the patient was suspected of having mesenteric panniculitis, laparotomy was performed to diagnose exactly. During surgery, the condition was confirmed as mesenteric panniculitis. Biopsies in swollen mesentery and lymph nodes and abdominal drainage were performed. Pathological study also showed mesenteric panniculitis. Since inflammatory reaction was not improved by administered antibiotics after operation, prednisolone (10mg/day) was administered from the 7th postoperative day, and rapidly improved inflammatory findings. Mesenteric panniculitis is an unspecific inflammatory disease of unknown cause, rarely induced in the mesentery. We show a case report that low-dose steroid medication is effective for mesenteric panniculitis.