Metrics details. Hibernomas are rare benign soft-tissue tumours arising from brown fat tissue. Although imaging characteristics are not specific certain imaging features, common locations and patient demographics may suggest hibernoma as a differential diagnosis.
We report on two year-old male patients with hibernoma. The tumour presented with local swelling of the inguinal region in the first patient and was an incidental imaging finding in the second patient. In both cases histological diagnosis was initially based on excisional and needle core biopsy, respectively.
Complete surgical resection confirmed the diagnosis of hibernoma thereafter. In soft tissue tumours with fatty components hibernoma may be included into the differential diagnosis. Because of the risk of sampling errors in hibernoma-like tissue components of myxoid and well-differentiated liposarcoma, complete resection is mandatory. This article also reviews the current imaging literature of hibernomas.
Peer Review reports. Hibernomas are rare benign soft-tissue tumours arising from brown fat tissue [ 1 - 3 ]. The name hibernoma was given by Gery in because of its similarity to brown fat in hibernating animals [ 5 ]. Hibernomas count for approximately 1. Until now, case reports and series with up to patients were published [ 7 ]. Males are more often involved than females [ 7 ]. The typical age at presentation is between 30 and 50 years. Hibernomas are slowly growing, painless tumours, either presenting as palpable soft and mobile mass or as an incidental finding at imaging [ 3 ].
Due to the hypervascularity, hibernomas may sometimes appear with locally increased skin temperature. They can reach a size of up to 20 cm so that symptoms secondary to compression of adjacent structures may developed [ 7 ].
