Diagnostic clues, pitfalls, and imaging characteristics of ‘-celes’ that arise in abdominal and pelvic structures

‘-Celes’ is an ancient Greek language suffix that means ‘tumor,’ ‘hernia,’ ‘swelling,’ or ‘cavity.’ There are many ‘-celes’ in the abdomen and pelvis that may be encountered during routine imaging interpretation, including santorinicele, choledochocele, ureterocele, lymphocele, mucocele, rectocele, cystocele, peritoneocele, varicocele, spermatocele, hydrocele, hematocele, pyocele and syringocele. Most ‘-celes’ are detected incidentally at imaging for other clinical indications, but some deserve more attention due to a range of clinical symptoms or functional disorder that can adversely affect patient quality of life. The objective of this article was to address all of the ‘-celes’ that a general radiologist and abdominal radiologist should know and be able to recognize. Imaging characteristics, diagnostic clues, and pitfalls have been provided to improve diagnostic accuracy and patient outcomes.