Management of a rare, giant multicompartmental lipoma of the hand: a case report and review of the literature

Lipomas are the commonest benign tumour, made up exclusively of adipose tissue, and can arise anywhere in the body. However, giant lipomas of the hand, defined as >5 cm in diameter, are rare. They have the potential to invade into surrounding areas and cause a multitude of symptoms due to the compression and proximity of underlying structures. We describe a case of a 64-year-old woman who presents with a swelling of the left thenar eminence, associated with numbness and tingling in all fingers. Magnetic resonance imaging and nerve conduction studies confirmed the diagnosis of a lipoma causing median nerve compression. The patient underwent elective surgical excision with good postoperative recovery. The excised lesion, measuring 12 × 7 × 2.4 cm, is one of the largest giant lipomas of the hand reported in literature, and the first to demonstrate invasion from the mid palmar space into both the dorsal sub-aponeurotic space and carpal tunnel.