Lipoma arborescens - Uncommon Diagnosis for Joint Swelling: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Lipoma Growing on the Back for 26 Years: A Bizarre Case Report

Lipoma is one of the most typical and benign tumors. They are typically regarded as a mass that is painless, asymptomatic, and slow-growing. It is composed of fat cells of the adult type. It can occur anywhere in the body and is often called a "universal" or ubiquitous tumor. They can develop in any region containing adipose tissue, with a higher prevalence in the subcutaneous tissue of the trunk and the nape of the neck and the limbs and occasionally in other locations, including the hand. There are three main varieties: encapsulated, diffuse, and multiple lipomas. A few lipomas may contain other tissues: fibrolipoma, neurolemma, and myelolipoma. Lipoma, when present for a long time, may undergo certain changes. This is particularly true in cases of lipoma under subcutaneous tissues of the thigh, buttock, or retroperitoneal lipoma. Such changes can be malignant, sarcomatous, calcification, or saponification. Clinically, a lipoma can occur in different anatomical situations; according to this, a lipoma can be classified into subcutaneous type, subfascial type, intramuscular type, subserous type, submucous type, intra-articular type, or it can be intraglandular. Lipomas, the most prevalent benign mesenchymal tumors, consist of mature lipocytes. Typically, lipomas are small, weighing only a few grams, with a maximum diameter usually under 2 cm. The term "giant" is applied when a lipoma reaches a diameter of at least 10 cm or weighs a minimum of 1,000 g. Due to their substantial size, giant lipomas can lead to functional limitations, such as lymphedema, pain syndromes, or nerve compression. Given the unique nature of this condition, characterized by the considerable size of the lesion and the challenges in both diagnosis and treatment, we present a case involving a 45-year-old woman with a giant lipoma in the suprascapular region.

Surgical management of upper limb lipoma arborescens: a systematic review

Background

Lipoma arborescens (LA) is a rare benign synovial tumour characterized by the proliferation of mature adipocytes within the synovial cells. Given its rarity, current evidence is mainly based on case reports and case series, and no guidelines are available. The present study investigated the current surgical management and related outcomes of LA in the upper limb.

Methods

This systematic review was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines. PubMed, Scopus, and Virtual Health Library were accessed in September 2021. Clinical studies evaluating patients with LA undergoing surgical treatment were considered eligible for this systematic review. Only studies which reported data on LA located in the upper limb with histopathological confirmation were considered. Articles that reported data from nonsurgical management were not considered.

Results

A total of 21 studies reporting 22 lesions in 21 patients were assessed. The mean age of the patients was 48.48 years (range 22–77). Most studies evaluated the restoration of range of motion and symptom resolution for the functional outcome assessment. Open or arthroscopic excision and synovectomy were the most common surgical procedures for LA. The concomitant lesions were treated in a single-stage procedure. All patients had satisfactory outcomes after open or arthroscopic excision and synovectomy without recurrence at a mean follow-up of 21.14 months (range 2–60). One patient developed postoperative cellulitis (4.55%).

Conclusion

Open and arthroscopic excision combined with synovectomy should be considered the standard treatment option of upper limb LA. Concomitant pathologies can be addressed in a one-stage procedure. Although LA was recognized as a clinical entity decades ago, there is a lack of evidence based guidelines and long term outcome data are unavailable.