Imaging appearance of benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma: a case report and review of the literature

Our plain-English summary of Imaging appearance of benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma: a case report and review of the literature, by V. Mehta, V. Chowdhary, R. Sharma, et al (Clinical Imaging, 2017).

The study

• Authors: V. Mehta, V. Chowdhary, R. Sharma, J.S. Golia Pernicka
• Journal: Clinical Imaging
• Published: 2017;42:133-137
• Type of article: Case report
• Cited by: 20 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

Benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma (BMPM) is a rare entity with fewer than 150 reported cases in the literature. Here we discuss a case of BMPM in a 22-year old female as presented to our urban community hospital, review epidemiology and clinical presentations of this entity, and perform a comprehensive literature review of various CT, US, and MR imaging features of BMPM.

Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

In plain English

This article combined a case report with a literature review on benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma (BMPM), a rare benign cystic growth of the peritoneum. The patient was a 22-year-old woman seen in an emergency department after 14 days of worsening right lower abdominal pain and nausea after childbirth. Ultrasound, CT and MRI showed multiple cystic masses with thin internal walls around both adnexa and along the sides of the colon. Some lesions suggested bleeding, and the ovaries were normal. She had surgery elsewhere and reportedly did well. Tissue testing confirmed the diagnosis. For the review, the authors' search found 191 articles; 56 included imaging, covering 72 imaging studies. Across those 72 imaging studies, a pelvic location (83.3%) was more common than an abdominal one (40.3%), and right-sided (31.9%) more common than left-sided (13.9%). Bleeding, seen in this patient, appeared only once, on ultrasound. Citing earlier work, the authors wrote that BMPM, unlike malignant peritoneal mesothelioma, has no documented association with asbestos exposure. The authors concluded that their compilation could guide telling BMPM apart from other cystic masses on imaging.

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 with a review of the literature on imaging features
• Who was studied: One 22-year-old postpartum woman seen at Staten Island University Hospital, New York. For the review: 56 published articles with imaging, containing 72 imaging studies.
• Exposure: No asbestos exposure was studied, and the case report gives no asbestos history. As background, citing earlier work, the authors state that BMPM has no documented association with asbestos exposure.
• Main results:
  • In the patient, MRI showed multiple well-defined, lobulated cystic masses with enhancing septations surrounding both adnexa and extending up along the paracolic gutters.
  • In the patient, some lesions suggested hemorrhage, and both ovaries were normal.
  • The patient had surgical removal at an outside facility and reportedly had a favorable outcome. Pathology on the tissue confirmed multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma.
  • Of the articles reviewed, 56 included imaging. CT was the most commonly used method, followed closely by ultrasound.
  • Across the 72 imaging studies in the 56 reviewed articles, a pelvic location (83.3%) was more common than an abdominal location (40.3%). These are percentages of imaging descriptions, not of patients.
  • Across the same 72 imaging studies, right-sided BMPM (31.9%) was more common than left-sided (13.9%).
  • Hemorrhage, seen in this patient, was found only once (on ultrasound) in the literature reviewed.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that their compilation of imaging features from confirmed BMPM cases could serve as a guideline for distinguishing BMPM from other intraperitoneal cystic masses on imaging. They noted that tissue sampling and pathology remain the primary means of diagnosis.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The authors note that the published articles they reviewed were largely based on small subject groups and often gave nonspecific descriptions.

Topics

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

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• Benign Multicystic Peritoneal Mesothelioma: AIRP Best Cases in Radiologic-Pathologic Correlation — R. Lee, A. Tong, et al. (2016)
• Cystic appearance of a malignant peritoneal mesothelioma by ultrasonography and computed tomography: a case report — K.W. Preidler, H. Steiner, et al. (1994)
• Peritoneal benign cystic mesothelioma: a case report and review of the literature — S. van Ruth, M.W. Bronkhorst, et al. (2002)
• van Ruth S, Bronkhorst MWGA, van Coeverden F, Zoetmulder FAN. Peritoneal benign cystic mesothelioma: a case report and review of literature. Eur J Surg Oncol 2002; 28(2): 192-5 — K. Sethna, F. Mohamed, et al. (2002)
• Benign multicystic mesothelioma and peritoneal inclusion cysts: are they the same clinical and histopathological entities? A systematic review to find an evidence-based management — A.M.C. Rapisarda, A. Cianci, et al. (2018)

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