Progress in Imaging Study of Creeping Fat in Crohn's Disease

Crohn's disease(CD)is a kind of inflammatory bowel disease, and its incidence rate is increasing year by year. Mesenteric creeping fat, a special sign of CD closely related to its intestinal inflammation and stenosis, has become a research hotspot in recent years. The formation mechanism of mesenteric creeping fat may be related to the migration of adipocytes and the translocation of intestinal microbiota. MRI, CT and US are commonly used imaging evaluation methods for CD, which can show the sign of creeping fat and evaluate the inflammation of intestinal wall and intestinal stenosis. However, the relationship between mesenteric creeping fat and inflammatory activity, stenosis and prognosis of CD needs to be further studied. The purpose of this review is to introduce the pathogenesis and clinical significance of mesenteric creeping fat, as well as the evaluation indicators of different imaging methods, and to further explore the relationship between mesenteric creeping fat and CD inflammatory activity and stenosis.