Type:
Educational Exhibit
Keywords:
Not applicable, Pathology, Obstruction / Occlusion, Infection, Surgery, Contrast agent-oral, Contrast agent-intravenous, CT-Enterography, CT, Small bowel, Peritoneum, Abdomen, GI Tract
Authors:
C. D. wadhwani1, S. V. DESHMUKH 2; 1Pune, gu/IN, 2Pune/IN
DOI:
10.26044/ecr2020/C-12923
Background
Sclerosing encapsulating peritonitis (SEP) involves presence of a thick, fibrotic, cocoon-like membrane (FIG 1), partially or totally encasing the small bowel. This is a rare but serious condition that presents as recurrent episodes of bowel obstruction, weight loss, nausea and anorexia, and at times a palpable abdominal mass.
However, clinically preoperative diagnosis requires a high index of clinical suspicion and knowledge of the radiologic features is necessary. Imaging serves as a very useful tool. The etiology of SEP is multifactorial, with a wide variety of implicated predisposing factors that disrupt the normal physiologic function of the peritoneal membrane—prime among these factors being post surgical, long-term peritoneal dialysis and bacterial peritoneal infections, especially tuberculosis..