Lipoma of the hypopharynx: pre-operative diagnosis and transoral resection

Clinically, lipomas of the hypopharynx may be confused with other benign or even malignant lesions. Barium flow radiography allows depiction of lesions cranial to the epiglottis, but often fails to be accurate for subepiglottic lesions. CT however has allowed a certain diagnosis to be made in many cases in the past. MRI is still more accurate, and allows not only a more specific diagnosis of the lesion, but also a better depiction of the origin of the pedunculated lesion and its extension in the parapharyngeal space. This paper adds three cases to the 52 cases in the literature already described and presents the typical features of hypopharyngeal lipoma by MRI for the first time.