SUCCESSFUL TREATMENT OF RETRACTILE MESENTERITIS WITH ORAL PROGESTERONE

Retractile mesenteritis is a rare inflammatory mesenteric disorder tha t involves the intestine secondarily. The natural history of this proc ess is diverse, but most patients require some empiric therapeutic mea sures. Up to now, pharmacological therapy has included corticosteroids , colchicine, and immunosuppressive drugs, Although these drugs are su ccessful in most patients, some have been refractory to these therapie s and in others, the beneficial effects were counterbalanced by advers e reactions. Many patients require surgery, but most have poor results . This report describes a 42-year-old man with histologically proven r etractile mesenteritis refractory to surgical intervention who had a g ood response to oral progesterone (10 mg/day for 6 months) with comple te disappearance of tumor mass and clinical symptoms. No adverse effec ts were detected, Current knowledge about the mechanism by which proge sterone affects fibrogenesis is scanty. It seems likely that progester one down-regulates proliferation and metabolism of fibroblasts and fib rogenesis.