Giant benign cystic peritoneal mesothelioma: US, CT, and MRI findings

Our plain-English summary of Giant benign cystic peritoneal mesothelioma: US, CT, and MRI findings, by A. Ozgen, D. Akata, O. Akhan, et al (Abdominal Imaging, 1998).

The study

• Authors: A. Ozgen, D. Akata, O. Akhan, M. Tez, G. Gedikoglu, M.N. Ozmen
• Journal: Abdominal Imaging
• Published: 1998;23(5):502-4
• Type of article: Case report, Review
• Cited by: 25 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

Benign cystic peritoneal mesothelioma (BCPM) is a rare tumor, primarily affecting young women; approximately 130 cases have been described mainly in the pathological and surgical literature. We present imaging findings of a giant BCPM in a male patient and discuss the radiological differential diagnosis with a brief review of the literature.

In plain English

This article was a case report of one patient, with a brief review of earlier reports, from Hacettepe University in Ankara, Turkey. It described imaging of a benign cystic peritoneal mesothelioma, a rare tumor of the abdominal lining that, according to the earlier literature the authors cited, mostly affects women. The patient was a 43-year-old man admitted for urinary incontinence. He had a bladder birth defect treated at age 4 and more than 10 years of abdominal swelling. Ultrasound showed a giant mass of many cysts filling the whole abdomen and pelvis. CT showed scattered calcifications and no sign of invasion. On MRI the mass pushed aside the liver, spleen and intestine without invading them, and its signal fit fluid-filled cysts. A laparoscopic biopsy showed the tumor came from mesothelial cells, and it was diagnosed as benign cystic peritoneal mesothelioma. The authors concluded that MRI may help in assessing cystic abdominal masses and in reaching a diagnosis before surgery. The article does not mention asbestos or any other exposure.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: case report (single patient) with a brief review of the literature
• Who was studied: One 43-year-old man treated at Hacettepe University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey. He had extrophia vesica treated at age 4 and more than 10 years of abdominal distention. Dates of care are not given.
• Main results:
  • In this patient, ultrasonography showed a giant multicystic mass with septae filling the whole abdomen and pelvis. The cysts ranged from a few millimeters to several centimeters.
  • CT showed a very large multicystic mass with foci of calcification. The printed dimensions read 37, 32 and 18 cm. The mass distorted the abdominal structures but showed no sign of invasion.
  • On T1-weighted MRI, a lobulated low-signal mass displaced the liver, spleen and intestine without any sign of invading nearby organs. On T2-weighted images it showed high signal, consistent with cysts. After gadolinium contrast, the cyst walls were mildly enhanced.
  • Some cysts were removed at laparoscopic biopsy. Immunohistochemical stains showed the tumor was of mesothelial origin, and it was diagnosed as benign cystic peritoneal mesothelioma.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that MRI may complement ultrasound and CT in evaluating cystic abdominal masses and may be very helpful in making a diagnosis before surgery. They recommended needle biopsy or laparoscopy when a diagnosis cannot be made without invasive procedures.

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Peritoneal Mesothelioma, Differential Diagnosis.

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