Omental infarction in pediatric patients: sonographic and CT findings

OBJECTIVE: Children with omental infarction typically present with abdominal pain and are diagnosed clinically as having acute appendicitis. Our purpose was to perform a retrospective review of the imaging findings in nine children with omental infarction as an aid to radiologists in distinguishing this entity from acute appendicitis. CONCLUSION: In pediatric patients with omental infarction, both CT and sonography show a heterogeneous mass characteristically situated between the anterior abdominal wall and the colon. It is important for radiologists to recognize the characteristic imaging findings seen with omental infarction.