Introduction: Lipomas are benign soft-tissue swelling commonly found on the neck, upper back, trunk, and shoulder but are rare in the foot and particularly in the sole.
Case report: This is a case of lipoma in a 49-year-old female teacher with 2 months history of painless swelling at the sole of the left foot which later became painful when it was traumatized. The patient was referred from a peripheral hospital to a teaching hospital in Ghana. Ultrasonography assessment revealed a hematoma, so our surgical team decided to do an excision biopsy under a popliteal block. Intraoperative findings revealed a lipoma and the mass was sent for histopathological assessment. The excised mass microscopically showed lobules of mature fat cells with areas of fibrous septae which have blood vessels and some nerves. The histopathological report revealed a diagnosis of fibro lipoma with no signs of malignancy. The surgery was uneventful and a 6-month follow-up period showed a healed wound and the patient can fully step on her left foot.
Conclusion: The rare nature of a lipoma found at the plantar surface of the foot makes this case interesting and the creation of awareness can help heighten the index of skepticism among clinicians especially when patients present with a swelling on the sole which has been traumatized. The Doppler ultrasound findings were different from our surgical findings; therefore, lipoma should be a differential diagnosis of swelling on the sole of the feet associated with trauma.
Keywords: Lipoma; benign tumor; case report; histopathology; popliteal block.
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