이하선 천엽에 발생한 지방종의 치험례

Lipoma on superficial lobe of the parotid gland: case report

A lipoma is a benign tumor of matured adipose tissue that usually occurs at the shoulder, back, and abdomen. 13% of lipomas occur in the head and neck area. However, the incidence of lipoma in the parotid gland is very low, approximately 2.5%. A conservational surgical excision is recommended in cases of lipoma of the parotid gland, with only 1-2% of lipomas recurring. We report a case of a lipoma in the parotid gland that was removed by conservational surgical excision. The lesion was exposed by the pre-auricular approach and the tissue was detached. After the parotid gland envelop was exposed, a yellowish mass is observed that was easy to remove due to capsulation. Most authors recommend a surgical excision of the superficial lobe of the parotid gland as the treatment for a lipoma in the parotid gland. However, enucleation only may be a sufficient treatment when a lipoma occurs in the superficial lobe or around the parotid gland. A patidectomy is not needed when a lipoma is located at the superficial lobe of the parotid gland, and a conservational surgical excision is suitable. Therefore, a clinical diagnosis is important for reducing the damage to the facial nerve.