Pediatric Lipoblastoma

  • Etiology: benign tumor arising from embryonic white fat that contains mature and immature adipocytes and myxocollagenous stroma
  • Imaging:
    — lipoblastoma is well-circumscribed / superficial / encapsulated
    — lipoblastomatosis is infiltrative and non-encapsulated / deep
  • MRI: some contain very little fat, variable amounts of fibrous septae and myxoid matrix determine appearance, indistinguishable from liposarcoma – rely on age to differentiate
  • Complications: metastases rare, locally recurrent (25%)
  • Clinical: < 3 years old, second most common fatty tumor in children, 78% in extremity

Radiology Cases of Lipoblastoma