All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
Purulent infiltrative omentitis: causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment
Medical expert of the article
Last reviewed: 07.07.2025
Causes of purulent-infiltrative omentitis
The presence of a purulent process in the abdominal cavity or pelvic cavity. In acute inflammatory diseases of the abdominal organs, the free edge of the greater omentum, as a rule, is part of the conglomerates, thus limiting the focus of inflammation from the free abdominal cavity. Inflammatory changes in the omentum can be from minor (the free edge is soldered to the parietal peritoneum and the capsule of the tubo-ovarian formation) to pronounced. In some cases, with a long course of the purulent process, the omentum can be changed along its entire length to the transverse colon (in the form of a shell), contain abscesses of various sizes in its structure and reach significant sizes, and its thickness can be 5-6 cm.
In such cases, the entire inflammatory conglomerate is easily palpated through the anterior abdominal wall, occupying the small pelvis, as well as the hypo- and mesogastric sections of the abdominal cavity.
Symptoms of purulent-infiltrative omentitis
In the clinical picture, along with signs of a purulent-infiltrative process in the abdominal cavity (in the acute stage - pain, fever, other signs of intoxication, as well as partial intestinal obstruction, in the remission stage - weakness, tendency to constipation and symptoms of long-term chronic intoxication), signs of reactive pancreatitis (nausea, vomiting, flatulence, moderate increase in blood and urine diastase, as well as transaminases) may appear, which requires appropriate correction.
Diagnosis of purulent-infiltrative omentitis
An unchanged or even changed omentum is rarely identified separately on an echogram; more often, a conglomerate of organs (infiltrate) is determined in the abdominal cavity, which includes the omentum.
Features of the operational manual
In the presence of purulent-infiltrative omentitis, resection of the omentum is performed within the “healthy” tissue, the omentum stumps are carefully ligated “with a turn” with preliminary suturing with thin vicryl or catgut.
Prevention of purulent-infiltrative omentitis
To prevent all forms of complications of purulent inflammation of the internal genital organs, active tactics of managing patients with purulent inflammatory diseases of the internal genital organs are required, and first of all, timely surgical treatment.
[ Where does it hurt?
What do need to examine?