Giant Diaphragmatic Lipoma: Two Autopsy. Case Reports and Review of the Literature

Lipomas are common benign tumors most frequently found within the subcutaneous areas of the body. Deep-seated lipomas are rare and tend to be larger than cutaneous ones. Lipomas are ararely seen in the thoracic cavity, and they are usually located in the mediastinum, bronchiole, and lungs. Diaphragmatic lipomas have been occasionally reoprted in the literature, the first being described by Clarck et al. in 1886. The authors report two rare cases of giant diaphragmatic lipoma incidentally found during forensic autopies. In the first case, a Caucasian 85-year-old woman burned to death with another passenger, after her methane-fueled car collided with another car on a highway near Terni, Umbria, Italy. In the second case, a Caucasian 45-year-old man collasped while walking through the countryside of Perugia. In either case, a large mass in the torax was observed. The definitive pathologie diagnosis was giant intrathoracic diaphragmatic lipopma without evidence of malignancy. The Authors also review the relevant literature and discuss differential diagnoses. these case reports contribute to the establishment of the actual incidence of diaphragmatic lipomas.