Malignancy in the gastrointestinal tract is one of the top differential diagnoses, presenting with a variety of focal or diffuse imaging manifestations. However, many non-neoplastic diseases can show similar patterns. An understanding of normal variants and alternate diagnoses can reduce the frequency of malignancy misdiagnoses. This case-based review will assist the radiologist at all levels of training in identifying key clinical and imaging features that help identify these non- neoplastic conditions and make appropriate recommendations to the referring clinician.
TABLE OF CONTENTS/OUTLINEMultimodality case-based review of inflammatory and infectious diseases and normal variants mimicking gastrointestinal malignancy. The following cases will be presented with discussion of pertinent clinical presentation, treatment, and differential diagnosis:1. Liver: fulminant liver failure, sarcoidosis, biliary hamartomas2. Gallbladder: xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis, adenomyomatosis, tumefactive sludge3. Spleen: sarcoidosis, candidiasis, siderotic nodules, splenosis4. Pancreas: focal, chronic, and autoimmune pancreatitis, fat saponification, focal pancreaticatrophy, intrapancreatic splenule5. Bowel: inflammatory entities, bezoar6. Peritoneum and mesentery: endometriosis, gossypiboma