title: Diagnostic dilemma of parotid lipomas: imaging versus fine needle aspiration cytology.
abstract: Lipomas are common soft tissue neoplasms; however, they are found rarely in the parotid gland region. The purpose of this study was to analyze the diagnostic challenges of this rare condition. We performed a retrospective analysis of 11 patients with parotid lipomas, treated from November 2009 to February 2014. The mean age at diagnosis was 46.6 ± 2.9 years, and the study population included 8 males and 3 females. Computed tomography (CT) and/or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were performed in radiological diagnosis. Fine needle aspiration (FNA) was performed in all cases (including two times in five patients, for a total of 16 biopsies) and results were diagnostic in four instances. Specificities of the CT, MRI, and FNA cytology tests were 100%, 100%, and 25% respectively. CT and/or MRI scans were more reliable than FNA cytologies for accurate diagnosis of parotid lipomas.
authors.affiliation: Tepecik Training and Research Hospital Head & Neck Surgery Clinic, Izmir/Turkey. ilker_burak_arslan@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Ilker Burak
authors.initials: IB
authors.lastname: Arslan
authors.forename: Sinan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Uluyol
authors.forename: Selahattin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Genc
authors.forename: Tugrul
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Eruyar
authors.forename: Suphi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bulgurcu
authors.forename: Ibrahim
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Cukurova
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D044963:Biopsy, Fine-Needle; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008067:Lipoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010307:Parotid Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed