Ricerc@Sapienza

Lipomas, benign tumors of the adipose tissue, consist of adipocytes surrounded by a fibrous capsule, and they can arise in any region of the body. Depending on the anatomical site and dimensions, lipomas can alter movement, become inflamed, and induce lymphedema, pain, and compression syndrome Lipomas larger than 10 cm in maximum diameter or heavier than 1000 g are defined as “giant. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) can be useful in identifying liposarcomas. Amplification of MDM-2 and CDK4 genes strongly indicates this type of neoplasm.

Introduction: Lipomas are the most common non-epithelial benign tumors of the gastrointestinal tract with a reported incidence in the colon of 0.2–4.4%. These lesions are usually asymptomatic with a typical endoscopic finding of a smooth, slightly yellow, circular, polyp that is sessile in most cases, covered with normal colonic mucosa. Areas Covered: There are rare reported cases of alterations of the overlying mucosa such as hyperplasia, atrophy, adenomatous changes, and necrosis.

Lipomas of the oral cavity are infrequent, representing about 0.5% to 5.0% of all benign oral tumors. Some lipomas are reported in paranasal sinuses diseases. We report an extremely rare case of infiltrating lipoma arising from pterygopalatine fossa studied with 3D cone beam, HRCT and MR imaging.