Intraoral lipoma of the base of the tongue

Overview and case report

Abstract

Lipomas represent a relatively rare finding in the oral cavity. They are classed with soft tissue mesenchymal neoplasms, are benign and normally show a painless slow-growing character. Important is the differential diagnosis toward the liposarcomas, which represent a malignant version of adipose neoplasia and as well show a painless slow-growing character. Therefore, in case of clinical suspicion of a lipoma, a histopathological examination of the excisional biopsy has to be exercised in order to confirm the clinical diagnosis. The aim of the present case report is to present the step-by-step procedure of a lipoma excision at the base of the tongue and to give an overview of the literature.