Endoscopic excision of cheek lipomas

Although the removal of forehead and brow benign tumors using an endoscopic technique has proven to be valuable, the efficacy of an endoscopic excision for cheek masses is unclear. A retrospective review was performed on 8 patients with a lipoma (7) and a foreign body granuloma (1) located at the cheek region. There were 7 men and 1 woman with a mean age of 34.8 years (range, 22-54 years). All the excisional procedures were performed with an endoscope through 2 small incisions, one on the hair-bearing sideburns and the other behind the earlobe. The masses varied from 0.7 x 0.7 cm to 4.0 x 3.0 cm in size. There were no intraoperative or postoperative complications, and no recurrence was detected after a 5- to 61-month follow-up. An endoscopically assisted excision of cheek lipomas is an effective procedure and might be a good alternative to the more conventional procedures.