Respiratory obstruction caused by lipoma of the esophagus.

A four-year-old boy presented with wheezing of 5 months' duration after a cold. During examination, an opacity was noted in the superior mediastinum, causing displacement of the trachea to the right. A barium swallow showed a mass in the wall of the esophagus, occupying the lumen, without causing any obstruction. Through further examination by computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, the mass was confirmed to be a lipoma in the wall of esophagus, causing displacement of trachea. The mass was removed via the transcervical approach, and the postoperative course was uneventful. Respiratory obstruction caused by a lipoma of esophagus in childhood had not been reported in the English language literature.