A Well-differentiated Liposarcoma of the Prevertebral Space: A Case Report

Abstract

Background: Liposarcoma is common in adults. However, its occurrence in the retropharyngeal space is extremely rare, and no cases of liposarcoma in the prevertebral space have been reported before.Case presentation: A 78-year-old man presented to the Otolaryngology Department with a 1-year history of progressive dysphagia and a 1-month history of dyspnea and dysphonia. A computed tomography scan of his neck demonstrated a large retropharyngeal mass. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed to further characterize this mass. Based on the above examinations, retropharyngeal liposarcoma was first made. The patient underwent transoral surgical excision with the help of nasal endoscope. During surgery, the tumor was found to lie in the prevertebral space. Combine with histological examination, the diagnosis was modified to liposarcoma of the prevertebral space. Conclusions: It’s difficult to distinguish the enormous retropharyngeal tumors and prevertebral tumors using imaging. Complete excision via transoral approach maybe enough for these tumors.