Rare Presentation of Subcutaneous Fat Necrosis at Multiple Sites with Unclear Etiology: A Case Report

Fat necrosis can occur in any area rich in fatty tissue. It occurs due to aseptic saponification of the fat by lipases. The most common site of it is the breast.

This article reports the case of a 43-year-old woman that came into the orthopedic outpatient department with a history of two masses, one on each buttock. The patient had a history of surgical excision of adiponecrotic mass from the right knee a year back. All the three masses appeared around the same time. Ultrasonography was done to surgically excise the left gluteal mass. The histopathology of the excised mass then confirmed subcutaneous fat necrosis.

Fat necrosis can also be found in the knee and buttocks, and that too without any definite etiology. Imaging and biopsy can help with the diagnosis. It is necessary to familiarize oneself with adiponecrosis so as to differentiate it from other grave conditions that it mimics, such as cancer.