Intramural fat of the urinary bladder

Intramural fat of the urinary bladder is an occasional benign finding on CT/MRI.

Epidemiology

Incidence of this finding on histopathological studies is up to 4%. Published radiological and pathological cohorts both report a male predominance.

Clinical presentation

Incidental asymptomatic finding.

Pathology

Adipocytes are found both within the lamina propria and the muscularis propria components of the wall of the urinary bladder .

Radiographic findings

On CT a thin fat density stripe is visible along the bladder wall, primarily dome and anteriorly. It is more commonly seen when the bladder is only partially filled with urine .
It should not be confused with emphysematous cystitis, in which bubbles of gas are present within the wall. No lipid-fluid level is visible within the bladder proper (cf. chyluria).