CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Indian J Radiol Imaging 2021; 31(03): 758-760
DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1735922
Case Report

First Computed Tomography Evidence of Pulmonary Cavitated Lipoma: Diagnosis and Management

Tullio Valente
1   Section of General Radiology, Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Azienda dei Colli, Monaldi Hospital, Naples, Italy
,
Giorgio Bocchini
1   Section of General Radiology, Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Azienda dei Colli, Monaldi Hospital, Naples, Italy
,
Gaetano Rea
1   Section of General Radiology, Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Azienda dei Colli, Monaldi Hospital, Naples, Italy
,
Marianna Paccone
1   Section of General Radiology, Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Azienda dei Colli, Monaldi Hospital, Naples, Italy
,
Giuseppe Vitale
1   Section of General Radiology, Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Azienda dei Colli, Monaldi Hospital, Naples, Italy
,
Giacomo Sica
1   Section of General Radiology, Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Azienda dei Colli, Monaldi Hospital, Naples, Italy
› Author Affiliations

Abstract

Lipomas are the most common form of benign soft tissue tumors in humans, occurring infrequently in visceral organs. Pulmonary lipomas are seen rarely and can occur such as an endobronchial (80%) or peripheral parenchymal (20%) lesion. Less than 10 cases of lung peripheral lipoma are described in literature, none cavitated. We report the clinical case of a 51-year-old emphysematous smoker man with a peripheral intrapulmonary middle-lobe cavitating lipoma, revealed during a routine chest X-ray for emphysema, subsequently confirmed by high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) and positron emission tomography (PET)–CT. Some hypotheses are made about the origin of cavitation. Biopsy and surgery were not done due to the fully benign nodular features at imaging. The nodule was unchanged till 2 years, last follow-up with low-dose HRCT. It is probably useful to choose a conservative approach with a follow-up, if there is a high suspicion of benignity.



Publication History

Article published online:
06 October 2021

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