Demonstration of efficacy of combining corticosteroids and colchicine in two patients with idiopathic sclerosing mesenteritis.

Sclerosing mesenteritis is an uncommon condition of unknown etiology. It is likely to be the fibrous evolution of mesenteric panniculitis. It often has an indolent course but may be complicated by progressive bowel obstruction. The treatment of the symptomatic forms is not well established. The observations of two women (20 and 65 years old) with a relentless downhill course of biopsy-proved sclerosing mesenteritis are described. A treatment regimen with corticosteroid therapy (initially 1 mg/kg/day) and colchicine (1 mg/day) led, in both cases, to a rapid improvement. Abdominal computer tomography showed reduction in the tumor size. The combination of corticosteroids and colchicine is helpful in the management of symptomatic sclerosing mesenteritis. Follow-up with abdominal computed tomography is useful in evaluating the therapeutic impact.