Pure intramuscular osteolipoma

Abstract

Ossified lipoma or osteolipoma are rarely reported. It is defined as a histologic variant of lipoma that has undergone osseous metaplasia. Osteolipoma presents with a dominant osseous component within a lipoma. We report a case of a histologically confirmed osteolipoma on the nuchal ligament independent of bone. The patient was a 51-year-old female who presented with a 5-year history of a painless, progressively enlarging mass on the posterior neck. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging showed a circumscribed mass compatible with fat between the C2 and C6 spinous processes with a large calcified irregular component. The mass with dual components was totally removed under general anesthesia and no recurrence was observed after 6 months of follow-up. We also reviewed the clinicopathologic features of previously reported osteolipomas in the literature and suggest that although osteolipoma is a rare variant of lipoma, it should be considered in the differential diagnosis when a lipoma of the posterior neck mixed with a bony component is encountered. © 2014 The Korean Neurosurgical Society.