[Lipoma of the superficial lobe of the parotid gland. A case report].

We report the case of a patient with a lipoma of the superficial lobe of the right parotid gland. Lipomas of the parotid gland are very rare. They are said to constitute one to two percent of all parotid tumours. Only six cases were found in the recent literature. Preoperative diagnosis is difficult when the physical examination reveals a renitent, well-localized and painless mass. However, magnetic resonance imaging is now the imaging modality of choice to facilitate the diagnosis, but the diagnosis can only be confirmed by histological examination of the tumour. We discuss the value of superficial parotidectomy, while some authors suggest an enucleation of lipomas of the superficial lobe of parotid.