Sialolipoma of the parotid gland

A 33-year-old male patient with a slow-growing, painless, well-circumscribed soft tissue mass on the left parotid region is presented. The clinical impression was that of a benign salivary gland tumor. The tumor was situated in the superficial lobe of the gland, and a superficial parotidectomy was performed, with preservation of the facial nerve. Histopathologic examination results revealed a sialolipoma of the parotid gland and a lesion that consisted of both mature adipose tissue and glandular elements. Sialolipomas share similar clinical features with conventional lipomas of the salivary glands. Preoperative diagnosis is generally difficult, and computed tomographic scanning is useful in defining these benign parotid gland masses. Superficial parotidectomy is the usual surgical treatment for parotid gland superficial lobe lipomas, with near-total absence of recurrence.