Case report Peripheral intrapulmonary lipoma: a rare lung neoplasm

Lipomas are common benign tumours, but intrathoracic lipomas are rare and peripheral lung lipomas exceptionally rare. Seven cases—all in men—have been described in the world literature, diagnosed after thoracotomy and excision. We report a case of a peripheral intrapulmonary lipoma in a woman presenting as an opacity on a routine chest radiograph. The CT characteristics and the finding of the same lesion on reviewing a barium enema film from 12 years earlier allowed a confident diagnosis, avoiding the need for surgical excision. This is the first reported case of peripheral lung lipoma in a woman and highlights the value of reviewing previous radiographs. Lipoma is one of the most frequently encountered benign neoplasms, but intrathoracic lipomas are rare. The vast majority are located centrally within the lung, arising from proximal lobar or segmental bronchi. Only seven cases of peripheral intrapulmonary lipoma have been reported. These are thought to originate from fatty tissue in the wall of peripheral, subsegmental bronchi (1). Despite their entirely benign nature, in all the cases previously reported the lipomas were surgically removed. In this case, review of a previous unrelated radiological investigation averted the need for any invasive diagnostic or therapeutic intervention.