A rare case of glomus tumor arising from the center of the upper lip

Abstract

Glomus tumor is a benign tumor developing from the glomus cells at the arteriovenous anastomosis. It most frequently occurs in the skin of the fingers and toes and in the nail beds, and rarely in the oral region. An 85-year-old female patient presented to our department with a chief complaint of swelling of her upper lip. She was aware of the mass, and requested further treatment upon gradual growth of the lesion. Clinical examination revealed the mass in the center of upper lip beneath the mucosa. The lesion was an elastic soft mass measuring 16 × 14 mm in size. The mass was smooth and dark purplish in color. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed the low signal intensity in the T1 weighted image and high signal intensity in the T2 image, and mixed high and low signals within the mass. Ultrasound imaging revealed a uniform mass with a clear border, abundant blood flow signals, and enhanced posterior echoes. Histopathology confirmed the diagnosis of a glomus tumor. Since few papers have reported on the imaging findings of glomus tumors, our case findings will aid in the diagnosis of glomus tumors.