Laryngeal lipoma: a rare cause of acute intermittent airway obstruction.

ABSTRACT

We present a case of a 62-year-old man with a lipoma in the exceedingly rare location of the larynx, causing intermittent airway obstruction and dysphagia. The lipoma was excised endoscopically with complete resolution of symptoms. Lipomas are relatively common, accounting for 4-5% of all benign tumours in the body. They traditionally occur in areas of large depositions of subcutaneous fat, most frequently the trunk and limbs. They are recognised to occur in the head and neck but these only represent 13-15% of all lipomas. Lipomas are typically asymptomatic unless their impingement of nearby structures causes symptoms.