Introduction: Idiopathic omental infarction (OI), though uncommon, is increasingly being reported in general surgical and radiological literature on account of advancing imaging techniques and improved recognition of its radiographic presentation.
The omentum is a fat laden peritoneal remnant of embryological development and anatomically divided into the greater and lesser omentum. Here we report a case of idiopathic OI drawing particular attention to contemporary diagnostic considerations.
Case report: A 42 year old lady previously fit and well experienced a sudden onset, cramping abdominal pain. It was localised to the epigastric region. There was no past surgical or medical history. Routine blood investigations were all within normal range.
Plain CT scan was performed which illustrated:
- Circumscribed fatty inflammatory lesion in the lesser omentum, in between the left lobe of liver and antrum of stomach and surrounding the falciform ligament in its proximal part. Increased attenuation of the fat with hyperattenuating linear streaks within noted. The greater omentum and rest of the peritoneal fat planes were normal.
- No free air or free fluid noted in the abdomen.
- The bowel loops appeared normal.