Pharyngeal lipoma with cartilaginous metaplasia (chondrolipoma): a case report and literature review

The relative rarity of pharyngeal lipomas and paucity of clinical manifestations in the early stages of tumour growth conspire to task the diagnostic acumen of the clinician. A high index of suspicion and meticulous examination are essential in order to arrive at the diagnosis, which may be achieved...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of laryngology and otology 1997-07, Vol.111 (7), p.656-658
Main Authors: Nwaorgu, O. G. B., Akang, E. E. U., Ahmad, B. M., Nwachokor, F. N., Olu-Eddo, A. N.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Biological and medical sciences
Cartilage - pathology
Clinical Records
Humans
Lipoma
Lipoma - pathology
Literature reviews
Male
Medical sciences
Metaplasia - pathology
Otorhinolaryngology. Stomatology
Pharyngeal Neoplasms - pathology
Pharynx
Tumors
Upper respiratory tract, upper alimentary tract, paranasal sinuses, salivary glands: diseases, semeiology
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The relative rarity of pharyngeal lipomas and paucity of clinical manifestations in the early stages of tumour growth conspire to task the diagnostic acumen of the clinician. A high index of suspicion and meticulous examination are essential in order to arrive at the diagnosis, which may be achieved pre-operatively by computerized axial tomography, revealing a mass lesion with a characteristic low attenuation value. A case of pharyngeal chondrolipoma in a 25-year-old male is reported. It is suggested that this conceptually intriguing and rarely encountered lesion can be explained on the basis of neoplastic transformation of the second to fourth pharyngeal cleft mesenchymal rests displaying both adipose and cartilaginous differentiation. Alternatively, the cartilage could represent vestigial remnants of non-neoplastic pharyngeal cleft tissue entrapped within a primarily lipomatous neoplasm. Slow growth may occur over a period of several years, prior to overt clinical manifestation.
ISSN:0022-2151
1748-5460
DOI:10.1017/S0022215100138241