Intraparotid lipoma in a 15-year-old girl: MRI-based diagnosis of a rare parotid lesion

Intraparotid lipoma is a rare benign tumor of the parotid gland, accounting for less than 1% of all parotid tumors. Its slow growth and typically painless presentation often lead to delayed diagnosis, which relies primarily on imaging findings. We report the case of a 15-year-old girl presenting with a painless left cheek swelling, evolving since the age of five and causing progressive discomfort, without any associated clinical signs. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated the typical features of an intraparotid lipoma, including high signal intensity on T1- and T2-weighted images, complete signal suppression on fat-saturated sequences, and no significant enhancement following gadolinium administration, supporting a highly confident non-invasive diagnosis. This case highlights the value of MRI in characterizing a fatty parotid lesion and establishing a confident non-invasive diagnosis in an adolescent patient, potentially avoiding unnecessary invasive procedures, particularly in an anatomically complex region due to the close relationship between the parotid gland and the facial nerve.