Huge Intrathoracic Lipoma Occupying the Right Hemithorax

TL;DR

A large benign fat tumor was found in a woman's chest, causing lung collapse and highlighting the need for biopsy to rule out cancer.

Contribution

This case presents a rare example of a massive intrathoracic lipoma with characteristic imaging features and emphasizes the importance of histopathological confirmation.

Findings

Computed tomography showed a large fat-attenuation lesion occupying the right hemithorax.

Image-guided biopsy confirmed the lesion was a benign lipoma.

The case underscores the importance of excluding liposarcoma in such presentations.

Abstract

Intrathoracic lipomas are rare benign tumours that may attain considerable size before detection. We report a 38‐year‐old woman in whom a huge intrathoracic lipoma was incidentally identified on chest radiography during preoperative assessment. Computed tomography demonstrated a large, well‐circumscribed fat‐attenuation lesion occupying nearly the entire right hemithorax, causing near‐total lung collapse and mediastinal shift. Image‐guided biopsy confirmed a benign lipoma. This case highlights the characteristic imaging features of intrathoracic lipoma and underscores the importance of histopathological confirmation to exclude liposarcoma, even in asymptomatic patients with marked thoracic compression.

Incidental discovery of a massive intrathoracic lipoma occupying nearly the entire right hemithorax, causing lung collapse and mediastinal shift. Computed tomography demonstrated a well‐circumscribed fat‐attenuation mass with thin septations and no solid components. Image‐guided biopsy confirmed a benign lipoma.

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