Skull parosteal lipoma with reactive hyperostosis: a case report

A 50-year-old female presented with more than 20-year history of a large subcutaneous mass in the left parieto-occipital portion. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging revealed the lipomatous mass to show a high signal intensity in both T1- and T2-weighted images. A part of the lipomatous lesion progressed into the underlying hyperostosis and skull. The preoperative diagnosis was skull invasion of a well-differentiated liposarcoma. The tumor was removed completely, including the underlying hyperostosis and skull. Microscopy confirmed a lipoma without any lipoblasts, which was firmly attached to the reactive hyperostosis, and islands of lipoma were involved in the underlying hyperostosis and skull cortex. A pathological diagnosis of parosteal lipoma with reactive hyperostosis was made. Long-term progression of parosteal lipoma may cause to involve the underlying hyperostosis and skull, and led to the diagnosis of invasion of a malignant tumor on MR imaging.