Atypical Intramuscular Lipoma of the Tongue. Case Report

Although they are frequently benign tumors of mesenchymal origin, lipomas sporadically develop in the oral cavity. Intramuscular lipomas, which originate inside muscles, are a rare subtype. When found in the tongue, they are considerably more uncommon and its etiology remains unclear. Histological examination of the specimen shows mature adipocytes of uniform size with minimal vascularization and sometimes striated muscle fibers are to be seen in the periphery. A yellowish submucosal mass that is slowly expanding, painless, and asymptomatic, is typically seen based on a patient’s history and clinical examination. Lipomas that occur in uncommon locations should be mentioned and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of an oral mass. The main treatment option is a complete surgical excision. The purpose of this report is to describe a case of a 43-year-old female patient with an atypical, well-defined intramuscular lipoma in her tongue that began to form around 10 months ago.