Bilateral symmetric lipomatosis of the orbit in Madelung’s disease

ABSTRACT

Madelung’s disease is a rare benign systemic lipomatosis, which often presents in the head, neck and upper trunk regions. The appearance of symmetrical, excessive adipose tissue in the subcutaneous layer is its clinical characteristic. Orbital involvement is unusual with only a few cases reported previously. In this study, we describe the clinical and radiological features of Madelung’s disease in the orbits. A 42-year-old man with alcohol addiction presented with chronic bilateral masses of the lower eyelids and proptosis. Computed tomography (CT) scan showed excessive symmetrical non-encapsulated fat deposition in the orbital fat, lower eyelids, salivary glands, subcutaneous tissue along the neck and under the sternocleidomastoid muscles and supraclavicular areas bilaterally. Histopathological study of the orbital masses revealed mature adipose tissue interspersed with thin fibrous septae. He developed recurrent lipomatosis 1 year after surgical excision.

KEYWORDS:

• Benign symmetric lipomatosis
• Launois-Bensaude syndrome
• Madelung’s disease

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.