Madelung's disease – a case report

Abstract

Introduction: Madelung’s disease is a rare illness manifested by the uncontrollable proliferation of unencapsulated adipose tissue which accumulates symmetrically in the hypodermis in the area of the neck, shoulders, back and thighs. As part of differential diagnosis it is necessary to investigate tumours in the area of the neck, dysfunction of the thyroid gland, Cushing’s syndrome and rare lipomatosis.
Case report: In the case report, the authors present the case of a 52-year-old male patient with a large formation on the neck, trunk and the scrotal area. A suspicion of liposarcoma was expressed based on the imaging examinations performed.
Results: Excisions of tumorous loci on several occasions were indicated for the patient. Lipomas without abnormalities were proven in all histological examinations.
Conclusion: The diagnosis of Madelung’s disease is based on the clinical findings, imaging (computed tomography − CT, magnetic resonance imaging − MRI) and biopsy examination. Laboratory methods tend to focus rather on associated internal diseases. Treatment is only symptomatic and consists in surgical removal of the foci. However, it is often associated with the risk of recurrence.