By Health In Five Writer
Dr Jeet Savla, Consultant Orthopaedic surgeon at Apollo Spectra Mumbai successfully removed 15.7cm soft tissue tumour also known as “lipoma” growing inside the knee joint. Intra-articular lipomas are extremely rare and very few cases have been reported in the knee (before this case, the largest intra-articular lipoma recorded to be removed from the knee joint was 13cms). Lipomas can also grow in other locations like in the hip, lumbar spine, elbow, shoulder and wrist.
The patient, a 50 year woman from Dombivli, was suffering from knee pain for many years. She often sought treatment from local doctors but her pain only kept worsening. The pain became severe in the past few months and her knee was also swollen. After consulting with Dr Jeet Savla at his clinic, an MRI test was done which gave the diagnosis of the presence of a fat tumour in her right knee. In medical terms, it is known as Lipoma. The tumour had formed on the bone of her thigh and under the muscle layer of her knee extending into the knee. As a result, the woman’s knee was swollen and she was having trouble walking.
Dr Jeet Savla, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at Apollo Spectra Mumbai said, “When the woman was brought for treatment, her right knee was swollen. We immediately performed a few medical tests which revealed that she had been suffering from Arthritis. For her knee swelling, an MRI was done which diagnosed her with lipoma. In this disease, a fat tumour is formed under the skin. But, in this case, the tumour was under the muscle and above the knee bone. She was experiencing excruciating pain as this fat mass was compressing the nerves in her leg. Usually, these tumours are found in the superficial parts of the body such as the arms, legs, back, stomach, neck, etc. It is very rare that a tumour of this kind has been seen in the knee. A fat lump can be 1 to 3 cm. However, in this case, it was a massive 15.7 cm.”
The exact cause of lipoma is still unknown. But, most of the time, the occurrence of such tumours is hereditary. “Excess weight and the accumulated fat in the body gradually form such tumours. Apart from this, another reason for the formation of such tumours is excessive consumption of junk food. Therefore, if you find any fat lumps on your body, it is necessary to consult a doctor immediately without ignoring them”, concluded Dr Savla.
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