Imaging Recommendations for Diagnosis, Staging, and Management of Peritoneal Malignancies

Peritoneum is a serosal membrane lining the solid viscera and the hollow viscus of the abdomen and is made of a single layer of mesothelial cells. The most common primaries that spread to the peritoneum include gastrointestinal, ovarian, colorectal, and peritoneal metastases can be seen at some point during the disease course in 15 to 43%, 60 to 70% and 15 to 20% of patients, respectively. Other malignancies involving the peritoneum such as primary peritoneal carcinoma, peritoneal mesothelioma, peritoneal lymphomatosis, pseudomyxoma peritonei from low-grade appendiceal mucinous neoplasm, are far less common. The review strives to provide a framework for diagnosis and management of the disease.