Study on the correlation between abdominal fat parameters determined based on abdominal CT and mesenteric panniculitis

Objective To explore the relationship between mesenteric panniculitis (MP) and obesity based on abdominal fat parameters measured by CT. Methods A retrospective matched case-control study was conducted on patients diagnosed with MP according to radiologic criteria who underwent abdominal CT from August 2019 to July 2022 at Zhongda Hospital affiliated with Southeast University. Baseline information and blood lipids of the participants were collected,and CT images at the level of the L3 vertebra were obtained. Abdominal fat parameters were measured based on abdominal CT images using Image J software, and the association between body mass index (BMI), lipid levels, and abdominal fat parameters with MP was investigated using univariate and multivariate analysis. According to the patients' BMI and visceral fat area (VFA), subjects were divided into normal BMI, visceral obesity, and non-visceral obesity groups, and the prevalence of MP was compared among the three groups, as well as their differences in MP imaging characteristics. Results Among 905 patients diagnosed with MP by CT, 242 were included in the study. The VFA in the case group was (172.46±73.74) cm², the subcutaneous fat area (SFA) was (149.54±57.59) cm², and the VFA/SFA ratio was 1.25±0.61. Compared to the control group, the BMI, VFA, SFA and VFA/SFA in the MP group were significantly higher (P<0.05), while there was no statistically significant difference in lipid levels between the two groups. Multifactorial logistic regression analysis showed that BMI and VFA were independent risk factors for MP. The prevalence of MP differed among different obesity types, with visceral and non-visceral obese individuals having 3.83 and 2.08 times the risk of developing MP, respectively, compared to those with normal body weight. Conclusions Obesity plays a certain role in the etiology of MP, with an increased in visceral fat area being associated with the onset of MP. Both visceral and non-visceral obesity are risk factors for MP.