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Case Reports
. 2018 Feb 3;13(2):361-364.
doi: 10.1016/j.radcr.2018.01.014. eCollection 2018 Apr.

Large intramuscular lipoma of the tongue

Kara Fitzgerald  1 , Paul J Sanchirico  2 , David C Pfeiffer  3
Affiliations
Case Reports

Large intramuscular lipoma of the tongue

Kara Fitzgerald et al. Radiol Case Rep. .

Abstract

We describe a case of a 57-year-old man referred to an oral maxillofacial surgeon for a nontender, large intramuscular tongue mass. A computed tomography scan with contrast showed a homogenous right tongue intramuscular fatty mass measuring 3.8 cm × 2.8 cm in the axial dimension and 2.2 cm in the craniocaudal dimension. Histologic examination revealed multiple lobulated sections of mature adipocytes and occasional entrapped skeletal muscle fibers. The final pathologic diagnosis was intramuscular lipoma. Although lipomas account for approximately 50% of all soft tissue neoplasms, intramuscular (infiltrating) lipoma of the tongue is exceedingly rare.

Keywords: Infiltrating lipoma; Intramuscular lipoma; Oral lipoma; Tongue.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
CT images of a 57-year-old male. (A) Sagittal and (B) axial scans demonstrating the large, low attenuation lipomatous mass (arrows) within the tongue. CT, computed tomography.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Histopathology of the intramuscular lipoma (hematoxylin-eosin). Adipocytes are seen infiltrating the skeletal muscle of the tongue and entrapping muscle fibers. The tumor displays mature, univaculated adipocytes of fairly uniform size and shape. No lipoblasts are seen. Original magnification 100×.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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