Hibernoma is an uncoomon benign tumor that comes from the vestiges of the fetal brown fat. We report the case of a 29-year-old male with a 6-month history of a painless mass in his left axilla. Due to the low incidence and prevalence in the world, we decided to present one clinical case, focusing on the clinical finding and pathology along with a review and discussion of this rare pathology. Introduction Hibernoma is a rare benign tumour consisting primarily of brown fatty tissue. It arises most often in adults from the remnants of fetal brown adipose tissue, even though not all hibernomas occur at the few sites in which brown fat is encountered in humans. It usually affects muscle and subcutaneous tissue and is asymptomatic and slow-growing. It is usually seen in locations where normal brown adipose tissue is found in foetuses and infants such as the periscapular or interscapular region, neck, axilla, inguinal region, mediastinum, periaortic and perirenal zones, and more rarely, the retroperitoneum, intrathoracic and special pleural locations1. We present a case of a hibernoma arising from the left axilla in a 29-year-old male treated by surgical resection. The diagnosis of hibernoma was only made after surgical excision, wich confirmed the presence of brown fat on histologic analysis. Clinical picture and therapeutics applied are explained. Case report A 29-year-old male presented with a mass in his left axilla which had been steadily enlarging for more than 6 months. He was totally asymptomatic. His medical history was unremarkable. Physical examination demonstrated soft-tissue fullness within the left axilla, with a mixed consistency of fatty tissue combined with a firmer, interspersed soft-tissue component. No skin changes or dimpling were present, and the left upper extremity was neurovascularly intact. Laboratory findings did not reveal anaemia or inflammatory changes. Ultrasonography demonstrated echogenic soft tissue with increased vascularity. The lesion was described on CT scan (Fig. 1), as a well-defined mass arising from the left axilla with mass effect on the surrounding structures, but without evidence of invasion of adjacent skeletal muscle. The tumour measured 9x5cm.
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