[Mesenteric panniculitis with retroperitoneal involvement resolved after treatment with intravenous cyclophosphamide pulses].

Mesenteric panniculitis is an inflammatory process of the adipose tissue of the mesentery. It produces a thickening of the mesentery of the small bowel or colon and can occasionally involve the retroperitoneum. It is characterized by an infiltration of lipid-laden macrophages and associated with variable degrees of inflammation and fibrosis. Several treatments have been used, including colchicine, dapsone, corticosteroids associated or not with immunosuppressants, but there are no prospective controlled studies to define appropriate treatment: moreover, there are cases of regression without specific therapy. We present the case of a patient with mesenteric panniculitis affecting the colon and retroperitoneal space including the right ureter and iliac vein. Immunosuppressive treatment with monthly intravenous pulse cyclophosphamide and oral corticosteroids, resulted in the disappearance of the abdominal mass without relapse during ten months of monitoring.