Hibernoma of the para-glottic space: an unusual tumour of the larynx.

Hibernoma is an unusual tumour of brown adipose tissue. Brown adipose tissue is common in mammalian hibernating animals and acts as a thermogenic organ. A first case of hibernoma was reported in 1906 by Merkel. This tumour usually arises in the back, shoulder region, mediastinum, retroperitoneum and in the neck. The neck location of hibernomas is rare and only 18 cases of cervical hibernoma have been reported in the English literature. A 48-year-old male with hoarseness and soft voice, present for 8 months, showed a lesion involving the anterior part of the right vocal fold, with no impaired mobility. This is the first case to be reported of laryngeal hibernoma located in a vocal fold, originating from the white fat tissue of the paraglottic space. Moreover, this report could be evidence of the development of hibernoma from white adipose tissue.