MESENTERIC panniculitis is a form of mesenteric tumor wherein fibrofatty tissue is involved in a specimen of inflammatory changes. It has been variously designated as retractile mesenteritis, lipogranuloma of the mesentery, isolated lipodystrophy, and retroperitoneal xanthogranuloma. Since 1924 when Jura1,2,3 discussed and described these findings, reports of the entity have continued to appear and a number of cases have been described in detail. Generally, the authors have discussed the material with allusion to Weber-Christian disease. The reasons for this are obvious, since both syndromes have as common features the involvement of adipose tissues in an inflammatory process of obscure etiology, but beyond this the justification for extension of the association is tenuous. The recent appearance of two more publications,4,5 describing the clinical picture and pathological features of the lesion, emphasizes the increasing awareness of the entity and the attempts to explain its etiology and or to explore its