Background: Intraosseous lipomas (IOLs) are tumors of the medullary adipose tissue. They most commonly occur in the long bones and calcaneus, but rarely in the jaws. Objective: The main objective of this article is to review the main characteristics of IOLs with emphasis on the lesions located in the jaws. Methods: A literature review of the Pubmed database was done using the keywords: intraosseous lipoma of the jaws; mandibular intraosseous lipoma; maxillary intraosseous lipoma”. Selection criteria included English written articles about humans (literature reviews, case series/reports). Results: 32 papers from the types literature reviews, case series and case reports were selected and reviewed for mandibular and maxillary IOLs. Discussion: IOLs are rarely found in the jaws and less frequently reported in the maxilla than in the mandible. The majority of cases are asymptomatic. In the others, patients may suffer from swelling, pain and paresthesia. Radiologically, they appear as well-defined osteolytic lesions with sclerotic borders centered in some cases by calcification. Histologically, IOLs present as mature adipose tissue, without cellular atypia, associated with variable degrees of necrotic fat and calcification. Conclusion: Clinical and radiologic examinations are important but the gold standard for accurate diagnosis remains the histopathological evaluation. Early diagnosis and accurate treatment consisting in surgical enucleation/resection, followed by long-term follow-up of the patient are essential to avoid any possible recurrence.
Key words: jaw, intraosseous, lipoma, mandible, maxilla.
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