Lipoma Arborescens in the Hip Joint: A Case Report

ABSTRACT

Lipoma arborescens is a very rare disease in which adipocytes form a synovial villous lipoma. In addition, it has the potential for dysplastic proliferation. Hypertrophic synovial lipoma is stimulated by movement of joints, which results in joint pain, effusion, limitation of joint movement and swelling. A definite cause has not yet been proven, but trauma, rheumatic arthritis, inflammation and degenerative change are believed to be possible causes. There have been reports of lipoma arborescens in several joints, including the knee joint and elbow joint. However, it is very rare to find this disease in hip joints. In fact, only one such case has been reported in Korea. We report here on a rare case of lipoma arborescens in the hip joint along with a review of the relevant literature.