J Korean Assoc Oral Maxillofac Surg.  2010 Oct;36(5):438-440.

Lipoma on superficial lobe of the parotid gland: case report

• Kim JH
• Kim CH
• Kim MG
• Song JW
• Jung EG
• Kim BJ

Abstract

A lipoma is a benign tumor of matured adipose tissue that usually occurs at the shoulder, back, and abdomen. 13% of lipomas occur in the head and neck area. However, the incidence of lipoma in the parotid gland is very low, approximately 2.5%. A conservational surgical excision is recommended in cases of lipoma of the parotid gland, with only 1-2% of lipomas recurring. We report a case of a lipoma in the parotid gland that was removed by conservational surgical excision. The lesion was exposed by the pre-auricular approach and the tissue was detached. After the parotid gland envelop was exposed, a yellowish mass is observed that was easy to remove due to capsulation. Most authors recommend a surgical excision of the superficial lobe of the parotid gland as the treatment for a lipoma in the parotid gland. However, enucleation only may be a sufficient treatment when a lipoma occurs in the superficial lobe or around the parotid gland. A patidectomy is not needed when a lipoma is located at the superficial lobe of the parotid gland, and a conservational surgical excision is suitable. Therefore, a clinical diagnosis is important for reducing the damage to the facial nerve.

Keyword

Lipoma; Neoplasm; Parotid gland

MeSH Terms

Abdomen
Adipose Tissue
Head
Incidence
Lipoma
Neck
Parotid Gland
Shoulder

Figure

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  Fig. 1. Computed tomograph (CT) scan.(enhanced view) A. Transverse view of CT scan, B. Coronal view of CT scan.

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  Fig. 2. Lipoma was exposed via preauricular approach.

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  Fig. 3. Macroscopic view (external) shows well-circumscribed, thinly encapsulated, and oval mass with soft consistency.

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  Fig. 4. Macroscopic view (cross section) shows uniform greasy cut surface with pale yellow color.

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  Fig. 5. The mass is well encapsulated by thin fibromembranous tissue.(H&E staining, original magnification ×40)

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  Fig. 6. The mass is composed of mature fat cells having only a slight variation in cellular size and shape.(H&E staining, original magnification ×200)

Reference

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