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Mucinous appendiceal neoplasms: pathologic classification, clinical implications, imaging spectrum and mimics

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Abstract

Mucinous appendiceal neoplasms are uncommon, but important to recognize with imaging due to malignant potential. Peritoneal seeding and pseudomyxoma peritonei can occur with both frankly malignant as well as low-grade appendiceal neoplasms. Prospective imaging identification of potential appendiceal neoplasm is paramount to clinical/surgical management. When a mucinous appendiceal neoplasm is suspected, a right hemicolectomy with lymph node dissection is the preferred surgical management. Unfortunately, accurate preoperative diagnosis can be challenging due to a wide range of clinical presentations and overlapping imaging appearances of appendiceal neoplasms with benign entities. Using the 2010 World Health Organization (WHO) pathologic classification as a framework, we provide a comprehensive multi-modality pictorial essay detailing the broad array of imaging findings of mucinous appendiceal neoplasms and common imaging mimics.

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Correspondence to Todd R. Williams.

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All three authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest. No grants or funding involved in this project.

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The study is a retrospective review of the medical record and is compliant with Henry Ford Hospital’s Institutional Review Board guidelines (IRB# 7550). This article does not contain studies with human or animal participants performed by any of the authors.

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Van Hooser, A., Williams, T.R. & Myers, D.T. Mucinous appendiceal neoplasms: pathologic classification, clinical implications, imaging spectrum and mimics. Abdom Radiol 43, 2913–2922 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00261-018-1561-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00261-018-1561-9

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