Jo Dong Ho, Chon Hyung Ku, Woo Sun Ho, Kim Tae Hyeon
Department of Internal Medicine, Wonkwang University College of Medicine, Iksan, Korea.
Korean J Gastroenterol. 2016 Oct 25;68(4):210-213. doi: 10.4166/kjg.2016.68.4.210.
Most esophageal lipomas are discovered incidentally and are small and asymptomatic. However, large (>4 cm) lipomas may cause various symptoms, including dysphagia, regurgitation, or epigastric discomfort. We present a 45-year-old woman with intermittent sudden choking and globus pharyngeus. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and endoscopic ultrasound revealed an approximately 10.0×1.5 cm pedunculated subepithelial tumor in the upper esophagus, identified as the cause of her symptoms. A thoracic computed tomography scan revealed a fat attenuated longitudinal mass along the upper esophagus, suggestive of a lipoma. Endoscopic resection of the lesion was performed with a detachable snare to relieve her symptoms, and the pathologic findings were consistent with a lipoma.