Giant Lipoma of the Hand: An Exceedingly Rare Condition!

Abstract

Lipomas are the most common benign form of soft tissue tumor in the body. Although they are commonly found on the upper extremity, their occurrence in the hand is rare. Giant lipomas of the hand, defined as >5 cm in diameter, are extremely rare. This manuscript reports a very rare case of giant lipoma on the palmar side of the hand in order to study the diagnostic, theurapeutic and prognostic aspects. A 61 year-old female had a large asymptomatic thenar swelling since 10 years. The clinical examination showed a subcutaneous tumor spreading the 1st commissure and making opposition of the thumb very limited. There were no inflammatory signs and no pain. The patient didn’t report any sensory deficit and the neurological examination was normal. The standard X-ray showed a tissue image without bone lesions. MRI demonstrated a large, well-limited T1, T2 hypersignal tissue formation, which developed in the subcutaneous fat of the first commissure, insinuated itself in front of the last three metacarpals, and included the deep and superficial flexor tendons. The patient was operated on under local anesthesia and pneumatic tourniquet at the root of the limb. The approach allowed a satisfactory exposure of the entire palm of the hand and revealed a lipomatous mass, encapsulated, pushing back the vascular and neural pedicles of the long fingers without invading them and remaining in front of the flexor tendons. The tumor was carefully dissected, which allowed it to be removed totally. Histology confirmed the diagnosis of benign lipoma. Complete recovery was achieved without any sign of recurrence during a follow up period of 5 years. Lipomas of the hand represent a rare benign tumor pathology; giant lipomas represent an exceedingly rare condition. The proximity of the relationships with the vascular and neural structures must lead to the greatest caution during surgical dissection. Only anatomopathological examinations confirm the histological nature of the lesion.