Congenital bone anomalies associated with lipomas

Abstract

Congenital bone anomalies are occasionally located adjacent to deep lipomas. These bone dysplasias may take the form of localized overgrowth or osseous malformation. Two patients with iliac anomalies and spinal dysraphism and one with a hypertrophied rib and vertebra associated with lipomas are described. As both the lipomas and osseous anomalies tend to lie in the same sensory nerve distribution, there may be a common embryonic neural dysfunction affecting formation and subsequent growth of these structures.

Hyperplasia of rib and vertebra, associated with infiltrating lipoma: a rare case of focal overgrowth

“…Histologic examination showed the excised tissue to be normal. Pathogenesis of this rib overgrowth is still unknown, but Sauer hypothesized that the sensory nerve, after being affected by a teratogen or other agent, induces altered soft tissue and osseous development through a trophic influence, with resultant lipoma formation and dysostosis [5]. In our case no history of teratogens during embryonic development was known.…”

“…To our knowledge, overgrowth of a rib and dorsal vertebra has previously been described in the literature only once by Sauer et al [5]. They showed the case of an 8-yearold boy who had an asymptomatic mass due to hyperplasia of the left sixth rib and left half of the adjacent vertebra.…”

“…Most syndromes with overgrowth manifest in extremities. Rarely, cases of localized overgrowth in the chest wall have been described in the literature [5].…”

Case report 774

“…This is the first published case of a parosteal lesion with intrasubstance ossification of the adipose component [25,27]. An iliac bone projection is another osseous finding associated with lipoma, specifically congenital lipoma [30]. This finding has not been observed in a parosteal lesion.…”

Chest wall mass in a 15-year-old female patient

“…Osseous overgrowth has been previously noted in relation to lipomatous lesions [4] but they are rare and little has been published, with their overall incidence and the pathogenesis of the lipoma-bone abnormality remaining unclear [5]. Where there is osseous overgrowth by a lipomatous lesion, careful assessment of the bone involved should be undertaken to ensure the changes are not arising from the bone itself.…”