Excision of Large Lipomas Using Tumescent Local Anesthesia

Abstract

Background: Many large lipomas are removed under general anesthesia, because more local anesthesia than is safe to inject may be required for complete excision of such large tumors. Methods: The authors performed total excision using tumescent local anesthesia in an outpatient clinic for 23 patients with solitary large lipomas. Results: The longest diameter of the lesions on magnetic resonance imaging ranged from 10 to 22 cm. Mean length of the skin incision was 4.8 cm, and 56 mL of the tumescent solution on average was used for each patient. The postoperative courses of all patients, except for 1 patient who developed a hematoma, were uneventful. Conclusions: With judicious patient selection after physical examination and magnetic resonance imaging findings, total excision of large lipomas under tumescent local anesthesia can be performed safely in an outpatient setting.