Lipoma

Epidemiology

The muscles of mastication make up the bulk of the masticator space. Most of the fat in the masticator space is posterior to the infratemporal wall of the maxillary sinus and the tissue planes between the muscle bundles. Lipomas may be seen occasionally in the masticator space and these lesions may involve both the suprazygomatic and nasopharyngeal portions. Lipomas appear more frequently in overweight individuals.

Clinical Findings

Small- to moderate-size lipomas in the nasopharyngeal portion of the masticator space may be asymptomatic. However, lipomas in the suprazygomatic region may be large enough to present as a painless mass. The patients often give a long history of a slowly growing mass that may show rapid increase in size during periods of weight gain. Clinically these lesions feel soft and mobile and often appear fluctuant.