Peritoneal mesothelioma: CT and MRI findings

Our plain-English summary of Peritoneal mesothelioma: CT and MRI findings, by M. Puvaneswary, S. Chen, T. Proietto (Australasian Radiology, 2002).

The study

• Authors: M. Puvaneswary, S. Chen, T. Proietto
• Journal: Australasian Radiology
• Published: 2002;46(1):91-6
• Type of article: Case report
• Cited by: 13 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

Two patients with histologically proven diagnosis of peritoneal mesothelioma are presented. Both patients had CT scans of the abdomen. The second patient was also examined with MRI.

In plain English

This case report, by authors at John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle, Australia, describes two women with peritoneal mesothelioma, cancer of the abdominal lining, confirmed by tissue examination. The first, aged 38, had no known history of asbestos exposure and months of abdominal swelling. Her CT scan showed massive abdominal fluid, matted small-bowel loops and a thickened omentum with nodular masses. Surgery found malignant mesothelioma on the omentum and on the surfaces of the uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes and broad ligament. The second, aged 34, had rheumatoid disease and right upper abdominal pain. The article does not mention asbestos for her. CT showed a 4.5 × 3.0 × 3.0 cm mass near the liver whose exact origin was hard to determine. MRI showed a 7.0 × 7.8 × 3.5 cm lesion along the liver's surface beneath the diaphragm, arising mainly within the peritoneum on the liver's surface. Biopsies were consistent with mesothelioma. The authors concluded that imaging findings are striking but non-specific, which makes diagnosis difficult without pleural calcification or plaques. They also concluded that MRI can show a mass's exact site.

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 (two patients)
• Who was studied: Two women, aged 38 and 34, with histologically proven peritoneal mesothelioma. The second patient had a history of rheumatoid disease. The authors are from John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle, NSW, Australia. The article does not state where the patients were treated or when.
• Exposure: No asbestos exposure was reported. The first patient had no known history of asbestos exposure. The article does not mention asbestos exposure for the second patient.
• Main results:
  • Case 1: CT showed adherent, matted small-bowel loops and a thickened omentum with nodular masses, along with massive ascites.
  • Case 1: the final diagnosis was malignant mesothelioma involving the omentum and the serosal surfaces of the uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes and broad ligament.
  • Case 2: CT showed an irregular low attenuation mass measuring 4.5 × 3.0 × 3.0 cm, apparently arising from the region of the liver.
  • Case 2: MRI showed a right anterior sub-phrenic lesion measuring 7.0 × 7.8 × 3.5 cm extending along the diaphragmatic surface of the liver.
  • Case 2: on MRI the lesion was intermediate to low signal intensity on T1-weighted sequences and intermediate to high signal intensity on T2-weighted sequences.
  • Case 2: MRI showed the mass to be predominantly intra-peritoneal, arising on the surface of the liver. On CT the exact site of origin had been difficult to determine.
  • Case 2: histopathology of the periportal nodes and omental mass was consistent with mesothelioma, and no primary site for malignancy was found.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that imaging findings in peritoneal mesothelioma are striking but non-specific, and that diagnosis is difficult without pleural calcification or pleural plaque on chest radiograph or CT. They also concluded that MRI can show the exact site of a mass and whether it arises from the peritoneal surface or within an organ.

Topics

The National Library of Medicine indexes this study under subjects our site covers: Mesothelioma, Peritoneal mesothelioma.

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

Related studies

• Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma in two pediatric patients: MR imaging findings — M. Haliloglu, F.A. Hoffer, et al. (2000)
• Multimodality imaging of common and uncommon peritoneal diseases: a review for radiologists — R.A. Vicens, M. Patnana, et al. (2015)
• Benign Multicystic Peritoneal Mesothelioma: AIRP Best Cases in Radiologic-Pathologic Correlation — R. Lee, A. Tong, et al. (2016)
• Deciduoid peritoneal mesothelioma: CT findings with pathologic correlation — D.J. Chung, Y.W. Kang, et al. (2003)
• CT findings of hypervascular malignant peritoneal mesothelioma — D.S. Granke, J.H. Ellis, et al. (1987)
• Symptoms, signs and radiologic findings in patients having reoperative surgery for malignant peritoneal mesothelioma — M.D. Llanos, P.H. Sugarbaker (2017)

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