Giant Lipoma of the Neck: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Lipoma is one of the most common, subcutaneous, benign, slow-growing tumours of adipose tissue origin. Lipomas are usually small, the size varies from few mm to about 5cm with an average size of 3cm. However, when a lipoma grows to a size of atleast 10 cm in one dimension or weighs a minimum of about 1000 gms, it is referred to as a giant lipoma. Giant lipomas are rare accounting for only about 1% of all lipomas. We report a rare case of giant lipoma of the neck imaged on computed tomography with review of the literature. A 45 year old man presented with 5 years history of left side neck swelling. The onset was gradual and progressively increasing in size. It was initially symptomless but for the past 1 year he started having tingling sensation of the left side of the neck. There is also occasional numbness extending to the left upper limb. The computed tomogram of the neck showed a hypodense (HU = -109) mass demonstrated in the left paraspinal space of the neck. It measures about 148 x 97 x 59 mm in its widest craniocaudal, antero-posterior and transverse dimensions respectively (fig, 1 and 2). It shows well outline margin and thin internal septae. There is some enhancement of the septae and the margin of the mass in the post contrast series. No intrathoracic extension is demonstrated. No lymphadenopathy is demonstrated. A diagnosis of giant left side neck (paraspinal space) lipoma was made.