Introduction: Lipomas of the gastrointestinal tract are rare, slow-growing lesions that comprise 0.4% of all gastrointestinal neoplasms. They can cause dysphagia, dyspnoea or sudden choking.
Case history: Due to rarity of this condition and its uncommon presentation, a literature review was carried out (PubMed). This search revealed 290 articles, of which 74 were considered pertinent and were evaluated. We report a case of a 13cm pedunculated oesophageal lipoma that presented with increasing dysphagia and two episodes of suffocation. The patient underwent curative resection through a cervical approach.
Conclusions: Resection is recommended for large (>5 cm) or symptomatic polyps. Outcomes are excellent given that lesions are universally benign and oesophageal resection is not required.
Keywords: Dysphagia; Oesophageal polyp; Resection; Suffocation.