Lipoma of the parotid gland extending from the superficial to the deep lobe: a rarity.

Lipoma of the parotid gland is a rare clinical entity. Because of the rarity, they are not often considered in the differential diagnosis of parotid tumors. Lipoma of the parotid gland constitutes around 3% of all parotid tumors. These are asymptomatic and occur both in the deep and the superficial lobe of the parotid.(1) The most favored age group is from the fifth to sixth decade of life and is 10 times more common in the males.(6) Lipoma extending from superficial to deep lobe of parotid gland has not been reported in the literature to our knowledge till date. A 56-year-old male patient, with this relatively rare parotid gland lipoma is reported in this article; it was managed by conservative superficial parotidectomy preserving facial nerve that, if performed correctly, excludes the possibility of any second attack. 2009 The British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.