Giant Lipoma Involving the Face in a Child: A Rare Case Report

Lipomas are benign tumours composed of adipose tissue which are rare in paediatric age group, all the more infrequent over head and neck region. We report a case of 15 month old male child who presented with a history of swelling over the left side of the face for the duration and months. Patient was initially operated at 5 months of age elsewhere and presented to us with recurrence of the swelling at 15 months of age. Histopathologically the mass was reported as lipoma. The swelling recurred within a months time and grew exponentially over 8 months. MRI was done in unison with FNAC which was indicative of lipoma, following which he was operated at our centre for complete extirpation of the tumor. In a child so young a facelift approach was undertaken so as to hide the scar as well as ensure the protection of facial nerve. Description of the clinical features, diagnostic workup and surgical technique in detail is the focus of this study.