Background At around 15 percent, lipomas are the most common mesenchymal tumors found in the
head and neck area. In contrast to superficial lipomas, deep-seated lipomas are much
rarer and usually noticed as an incidental finding during a radiological examination.
Although angiolipomas are benign lesions, aggressive growth can result in invasion
of adjacent soft tissue.
Case summary Magnetic resonance imaging of the cervical spine revealed a mass in the right parotid
gland of a 71-year-old woman. She had never noticed this before and didn't cause
any pain. Fine-needle aspiration cytology revealed no clear findings. Intraoperatively,
a clearly vasculary, excessively bleeding tumor was found. After histological workup,
the diagnosis of sialoangiolipoma was made.
Conclusion Of the very common benign tumors of the parotid gland, approximately 90 percent are
pleomorphic adenomas or cystadenolymphomas. Lipomas are a rarity and primarily affect
males. Angiolipomas are common in the arms and trunk. They are found more rarely,
especially in the buccal region as well as cervical and mandibular in the head and
neck area. Surgical removal is the standard treatment. In the case of angiolipomas,
previous embolization can be carried out.
