Giant ischiorectal lipoma as a cause of anal pain, fecal incontinence and dyspareunia. An exceptional association

Abstract

Lipomas account for 50% of soft-tissue tumors and may compress adjacent structures. We report the case of a 49-year-old female patient with intense anal pain associated with defecation urgency, tenesmus, incontinence and dyspareunia. A soft tumor was present in the right buttock suggestive of lipoma. On magnetic resonance imaging an apparently encapsulated mass with a size of 15.7 × 9 × 6 cm was identified extending through the ischioanal fossa and ischiorectal fossa, displacing the levator ani muscle and rectum. The lesion was excised en bloc and the patient was discharged 48 hours later without complications. The pathology report concluded that the lesion corresponded to a lipoma. We performed a bibliographic search in PubMed to assess the association between lipoma and fecal incontinence; Of the 87 articles retrieved, none of them responded to the subject of the study. These symptoms are exceptional in the literature. The diagnosis is made mainly with magnetic resonance imaging and endoscopic ultrasound. An excellent functional outcome was achieved with surgical excision.