A Simple Guide to Lipoma

A Simple Guide to Lipoma
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What is Lipoma?
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Lipoma is a benign tumor which consists of well circumscribed fatty tissue.


Who is affected by Lipoma?
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Lipoma is more common in women than in men.

A possible reason is that women has more fatty tissue than men.

Lipomas can also be found all over the body:
1.subcutaneous

2.subfascial

3.subsynovial

4.intrarticular

5.intramuscular

6.perosteal

7.subserous

8.submucous

9.extradural


What is the Cause of Lipoma?
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Lipoma is a well encapsulated round swelling consisting fats cell which are not distinguishable from normal fat cells.

Possible causes are:

1.hereditary - more common in some families than others

2.injury to fatty tissue - stimulation for the fat cells to grow and accumulate at one site.


What are the Symptoms and signs of Lipoma?
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Symptoms :

1.slow growing round soft tissue swelling on the skin

2.mutiple swellings may also be present.

3.painless

Signs:

1.swelling are well demarcated and rounded

2.Soft tissue felt on palpation.

3.May grow to considerable size.


How do you make the Diagnosis of Lipoma?
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1.round well encapsulated swelling

2.soft on palpation

3.Unlike sebaceous cyst doe not have an central blocked opening

4.Ultrasound may used to confirm the presence of fatty tissue and not a cyst or malignant tumor

5.Biopsy of the swelling will confirm presence of fat cells


What are the complications of Lipoma?
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The lipoma may grow to considerable size over tima and can cause blockage to neighbouring organs:

1.intestinal obstruction at the abdominal area

2.difficulty in breathing especially near the trachea

3.In rare cases lipoma may become malignant liposarcoma


What is the treatment of Lipoma?
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The only treatment is surgical excision of the lipoma.

Small lipomas may left alone if they are slow growing and does not impinge on the nearby organs.


What is the prognosis of Lipoma?
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The prognosis is usually excellent.

Recurrence at the smae spot is rare but do occur due to regrowth of the blood vessel supplying the lipoma.

Rarely a lipoma may undergo malignant degeneration and become liposarcoma.