Investig Magn Reson Imaging.  2015 Jun;19(2):122-126. 10.13104/imri.2015.19.2.122.

Imaging Features of Madelung's Disease: Case Report

• Kang HJ
• Lee IS
• Cha WJ
• Kim HJ
• Song YS
• Ko JY

• KMID: 2175593
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.13104/imri.2015.19.2.122

Abstract

Madelung's disease, or benign symmetric lipomatosis, is an uncommon disorder that is characterized by massive symmetrical deposits of adipose tissue in the upper trunk, neck and head, and is usually associated with alcohol abuse; as such, patients usually complain of cosmetic issues. Historically, Madelung's disease is usually encountered in men between 30 and 60 years of age, and is more prevalent in the Mediterranean population. In this case study, we describe a rare case of Madelung's disease, in an Asian patient who presented with symmetrically located bilateral masses in the anterior neck, which grew progressively larger over a period of seven years.

Keyword

Madelung's disease; Benign symmetric lipomatosis; Alcohol abuse; Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); Computed tomography (CT)

MeSH Terms

Adipose Tissue
Alcoholism
Asian Continental Ancestry Group
Head
Humans
Lipomatosis
Lipomatosis, Multiple Symmetrical*
Male
Neck

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 A photograph of a 64-year-old man, showing large, symmetrical, protruding mass lesions at the anterior aspects of the bilateral supraclavicular areas.

• 

  Fig. 2 The axial (a, b) and reformatted coronal (c) CT scans through the neck and upper chest showed diffuse hypointense lesions locating at subcutaneous fat layer of mainly bilaterally supraclavicular areas. Lesions (arrows) were isointense with respect to adjacent normal fat tissue and contiguous with the normal subcutaneous fat layer.

• 

  Fig. 3 On axial T1- (a), T2-weighted (b) and on fatsuppressed, contrast-enhanced T1-weighted (c) MR images, the lesion (arrows) showed iso-signal intensity with adjacent fat. No solid enhancing portion was observed.

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