Circumferential Adipose Lesion of the Sciatic Nerve

BACKGROUND: Adipose lesions of nerve are generally distinguished as either extraneural or intraneural lipomas or, alternatively, lipomatosis of nerve. We present a patient with an unusual circumferential lipoma that completely encircles the right sciatic nerve and discuss a possible pathogenesis. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 44-year-old woman presented with progressive symptoms and signs of sciatic neuropathy for 1 year. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a large lipomatous mass extending from the level of the lesser trochanter to the distal third of the femur. The sciatic nerve was completely enveloped by the lipoma in the proximal segment, partially enveloped in the mid-segment and was separate from the nerve in the distal segment. The lipoma was not covered by the epineurium. The tumor was completely resected and the patient's neurologic symptoms improved. CONCLUSIONS: The pathogenetic mechanism of the reported circumferential lipoma of the sciatic nerve is not known. Two possible mechanisms considered included 1) envelopment by an extraneural lipoma over time and 2) occurrence of a lipoma in the paraneurial compartment (and in this case, extension into an extraneural one). Based on the available literature, lipomas that circumferentially envelop the entire nerve seem to be underrecognized and poorly understood. Analogous cases of lipomas enveloping nerves or other structures than nerves have been reported in the literature. Our reported case highlights the complexity of adipose lesions affecting nerves.