Pedunculated lipoma of the hypopharynx resected by endoscopic laryngo-pharyngeal surgery : A case report

Abstract

Lipomas of the hypopharynx are considered rare. They do not usually cause any symptoms. However, depending on the location and size of the tumors, they sometimes cause serious symptoms, such as dysphagia and suffocation. We herein report a case of a pedunculated hypopharyngeal lipoma without infiltration that was resected by endoscopic laryngo-pharyngeal surgery (ELPS). Although lipomas are benign and slow-growing tumors, it is difficult to differentiate between lipomas and liposarcomas. Therefore, incomplete resection may lead to a risk of recurrence. ELPS, which provides surgeons with a wide surgical field and helps them visualize the entire tumor, is an effective technique for completely excising hypopharyngeal lipomas.