Lipoma of the hypopharynx - Case report

Lipoma of the hypopharynx is rare. Clinically, it usually manifests as a pedunculated, well encapsulated, light coloured solitary mass. Symptoms include dysphagia, dysphonia, hoarseness, lumping throat and acute airway obstuction to death. Because the adipose tissue has a low computed tomography (CT) attenuation value, the CT scan can not only demarcate the extent of the tumor but also disclose the lipomatous nature of this tumor. Surgery is the treatment of choice. A small sized tumor can be removed endoscopically, while a larger one may require an external approach method. The paper reported a case of hypopharyngeal lipoma. We used transoral approach to extirpate the mass uneventfully.