Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine, Vol 7, Issue 8 451-456, Copyright © 1988 by American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine
Sonography and computed tomography in deep cervical lipomas and lipomatosis of the neck
N. Gritzmann, M. Schratter, M. Traxler and M. Helmer
Center for Radiodiagnostic, University of Vienna, Austria.
Nineteen deep cervical lipomas and five patients with cervical lipomatosis
were examined with computed tomography (CT) and Sonography. By means of CT,
which is the imaging method of choice for both diseases, it is possible to
differentiate between circumscribed lipomas and infiltrating intramuscular
lipomas. In addition, an exact localization in parenchymatous organs is
possible. Cervical lipomatosis is also clearly delineated. Sonography is
the first imaging method in cervical swelling or lesions; therefore,
knowledge of the sonomorphology of fatty tumors is mandatory. Cervical
lipomas have a fairly typical sonomorphology, but it is not as
pathognomonic as the density values are by means of CT. In cervical
lipomatosis, an adequate pretherapeutic assessment of the depth of
infiltration is not possible sonographically. Only the cervical vessels can
be clearly differentiated in this condition.
