Epiploic appendagitis is an uncommon cause of abdominal pain, due to a benign self-limiting inflammation of epiploic appendages, which are peritoneal adipose protrusions arising from the serosal surface of the large bowel. Classically, epiploic appendagitis affects the sigmoid colon or cecum, so that it may result in varied clinical manifestations and radiographic appearances, mimicking other diseases, especially diverticulitis or acute appendicitis. We propose to achieve these objectives: To identify the usual CT appearance of the epiploic appendagitis; To provide brief notes about the anatomopathological-imaging correlation...

Epiploic appendages, also known as epiploicae appendices, are pedunculated, adipose structures arising from the serosal surface of the large bowel. There are approximately 50-100 of them arranged in two separate longitudinal rows, extending from the cecum to the recto-sigmod junction, located anteriorly along the taenia libera and postero-laterally along the taenia omentalis (which is missing in the transverse colon, where only a single row is harbored). Epiploic appendages are covered by peritoneum and typically measure 1-2 cm in thickness and 2-5 cm in length, but...

A non invasive diagnosis of epiploic appendagitis can be done at contrast-enhanced CT by identifying the most common findings. ► On contrast CT imaging, acute epiploic appendagitis may appear as a fat-density ovoid structure, usually 1–4 cm in diameter, abutting anteriorly large bowel wall. This is expression of an infarcted or inflamed epiploic appendage (Fig.1) [1]. ► A high-density rim (2-3mm thick) surrounding the ovoid mass represents the inflamed visceral peritoneal covering of the epiploic appendage and it is a suggestive radiological feature of primary...

Epiploic appendagitis is an uncommon benign entitiy that may be clinically controversial and subtle on routine imaging evaluation, mimicking other serious causes of acute abdominal pain. CT should be used to confirm the fatty nature of the lesion, but it is strongly recommended to correlate the various imaging findings with clinical manifestations, to identify the subset of patients who will benefit from possible treatment options and prevent unnecessary surgery.

Dario Giambelluca [email protected]

1. Almeida AT, Melão L, Viamonte B et-al. Epiploic appendagitis: an entity frequently unknown to clinicians--diagnostic imaging, pitfalls, and look-alikes. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2009;193 (5): 1243-51. 2. Ghahremani GG, White EM, Hoff FL et-al. Appendices epiploicae of the colon: radiologic and pathologic features. Radiographics. 1992;12 (1): 59-77 3. Singh AK, Gervais DA, Hahn PF et-al. Acute epiploic appendagitis and its mimics. Radiographics. 2005; 25(6): 1521-34 4. Seo, J. (2017) Acute Epiploic Appendagitis of the Vermiform Appendix: Typical Computed Tomographic Image with Pathologic Correlation. Advances...