Well-circumscribed intramuscular lipoma of the sternocleidomastoid muscle

Intramuscular Lipoma of the Sternocleidomastoid Muscle: A Rare Entity Revisited

Intramuscular lipomas, typically found in subcutaneous tissue, rarely affect deeper muscular planes, especially those of the head and neck region. The following are 3 cases of intramuscular lipomas involving the sternocleidomastoid muscle. The first 2 patients presented with painless, palpable masses confirmed by diagnostic imaging as well-circumscribed intramuscular lipomas. One was treated surgically, while the other was managed conservatively with monitoring and close follow-up. The third patient reported dysphagia associated with occasional dyspnea and mild pain. The mass was identified as infiltrative lipoma and was resected surgically. Complete tumor removal with no recurrence at 6 months was observed for the first and last cases. The second case was serially followed at 3 and 6 months with no interval changes. We report the largest case series on intramuscular lipomas of the sternocleidomastoid muscle to enhance our understanding of this rare entity.

Rare Tumors Presenting as a Mastoid Mass

In terms of diagnosis, a painless isolated mass lesion around the mastoid area is rarely encountered in general practice. In the present study, we report two cases of painless benign mastoid tumors located in the postauricular region. The first patient visited our department with a painless progressing mass lesion behind the right ear, which was later revealed as an intramuscular lipoma in the mastoid origin site of the sternocleidomastoid muscle. The second patient similarly presented to our department with a chief complaint of a painless, palpable mass in the mastoid region. Biopsy results confirmed the diagnosis of an osteoma. In both cases, the tumor was surgically removed by a postauricular approach. Although osteoma and lipoma are benign tumors rarely involved in the mastoid area, presenting without symptoms, it is recommended of complete excision, especially in cases with symptoms or cosmetic deformity.

Intramuscular Lipoma of the Flexor Hallucis Brevis MuscleA Case Report

An intramuscular lipoma is a deep-seated, rare, benign mesenchymal tumor that arises in skeletal muscle. These soft-tissue masses are rarely reported in the foot. We describe an unusual case of an intramuscular lipoma of the flexor hallucis brevis muscle. A review of the literature revealed only one previous report of this lesion in the foot.

Congenital Infiltrative Lipomas in a Calf

The current report describes a case of congenital subcutaneous and intramuscular tumors of the neck and tail base in a 4-week-old female Angus-Charolais crossbred calf. Results of clinical and ultrasound examination are summarized. Biopsy and necropsy findings indicated an infiltrative lipoma. Congenital lipomas are uncommon tumors in bovids. Clinical and morphologic differentials, as well as classification and the possible pathogenesis of congenital neoplasms, are discussed.

[Intramuscular lipoma. A differential diagnosis of great prognostic relevance]

Lipomata of the head and neck mostly present as cosmetically disturbing, superficial lesions lying within the subcutaneous tissue such that they can be easily removed by minor surgical interventions. In cases of deeply extended, lipomatous tumors, as reported here regarding two exemplary cases, physicians should always take into account that they might have to deal with infiltrative, intramuscular lipomata or even malignant neoplasms, especially if concomitant functional disorders are observed. Even though such tumors are rare in the head and the neck, preoperative planning must anticipate these possible pathological entities. At any stage, modification of the surgical procedure should be possible according to the intraoperative findings, as these tumors are prone to recurrence after incomplete resection. The actual diagnosis with infiltration of the surrounding tissue cannot be sufficiently made either by adequate imaging techniques or by preoperative fine-needle cytology but only by histological workup of the resected, tumorous tissue.