Ultrasound assisted liposuction for the palliative treatment of Madelung's disease: a case report.

Benign Symmetric Lipomatosis (Madelung's disease) is a rare disease, characterized by massive fatty deposits in the neck, the shoulders, and the upper extremities. The deformity is associated with chronic alcohol use, malignant tumors of the upper airways, neuropathy, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, and other metabolic disorders. Although the deformity is prone to recurrence, surgical removal via lipectomy or liposuction provides the only way of palliation. This paper describes the treatment of a 51-year-old man with a history of alcoholism and liver cirrhosis. He reported masses in his cervical and facial regions that had gradually enlarged over a period of 6 years. He also developed respiratory symptoms due to the fatty compression of his upper airways. Our experience with ultrasound-assisted liposuction for the palliative treatment of this disease is reported.