Cervicothoracic lipoma in a child: A case report

Introduction

Lipomas are typically slow-growing tumors with the highest incidence in the fourth through sixth decades of life, less commonly occurring in pediatric patients, particularly extending across multiple body compartments. Excision is often reserved for cases that cause cosmetic or compressive symptoms and, due to the slow growth pattern, is less likely to be necessary in younger patients.

Case presentation

A 2-year-old female with congenital albinism presented with a painless but visible 3 × 4 cm non-mobile left lateral neck mass that had been present for 2 months. MRI without contrast demonstrated a lobulated lesion in the left inferolateral supraclavicular region extending into the left thoracic inlet and thoracic apex. Due to concern for developing mass effect on carotid space structures, resection of the mass was performed. Complete excision was achieved through a single lower cervical incision, requiring dissection from the brachial plexus, carotid sheath, subclavian vessels, and extrapleural thoracic apex. Final pathology revealed an adipocytic neoplasm consistent with a lipoma with a total specimen size measuring 9 x 6.5 × 5 cm. The patient was discharged on postoperative day one and was healing well without complaint at the time of follow-up.

Conclusion

Despite their benign nature, cases such as the one presented here demonstrate the capability of lipomas to adhere to and involve surrounding critical structures, particularly when located in the cervicothoracic region and occurring in younger patients. However, with careful surgical planning involving cross-sectional imaging, such lesions can successfully be completely resected through a single cervical incision without morbidity.