lipoma

DEFINITION of lipoma

The term lipoma refers to a slow-growing, benign soft-tissue tumor composed of mature adipocytes (fat cells) enclosed within a thin, fibrous capsule. They are the most common benign soft-tissue neoplasms in adults, typically presenting as painless, movable, doughy subcutaneous nodules. They can occur anywhere on the body where fat is present, but are most frequently found on the trunk, shoulders, neck, and axilla. While generally harmless and ** **, they may be surgically excised for cosmetic reasons, if they grow large enough to compress surrounding nerves or tissues (causing pain), or to definitively rule out a malignancy such as a liposarcoma.

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ETYMOLOGY of lipoma

greek

Component	Origin	Meaning
lip-	Greek lipos (λίπος)	“Fat”
-oma	Greek -oma (-ωμα)	“Tumor”, “mass”, or “fluid collection”

The roots combine directly to form the literal medical definition: “fatty tumor.”

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🔀 ALIASES / ALTERNATE TERMS

• Fatty tumor
• Adipose tumor
• Benign lipomatous neoplasm
• Subcutaneous lipoma

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🔗 RELATED TERMS

• Liposarcoma — a rare, malignant (cancerous) tumor of fat cells; the malignant counterpart to a lipoma.
• Lipomatosis — a condition characterized by the presence of multiple lipomas spread across the body.
• Angiolipoma — a benign tumor composed of both adipose tissue and prominent blood vessels, which is frequently painful.
• Fibrolipoma — a benign lipoma that contains prominent fibrous connective tissue.
• Sebaceous cyst — a closed sac under the skin containing keratin or sebum; often confused clinically with a lipoma but structurally different.
• Adipocyte — a mature fat cell; the primary cellular building block of a lipoma.

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CODING CORNER

🏥 ICD-10-CM CODES

Benign Lipomatous Neoplasms of Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue

Code	Description
D17.0	Benign lipomatous neoplasm of skin and subcutaneous tissue of head, face and neck
D17.1	Benign lipomatous neoplasm of skin and subcutaneous tissue of trunk
D17.21	Benign lipomatous neoplasm of skin and subcutaneous tissue of right arm
D17.22	Benign lipomatous neoplasm of skin and subcutaneous tissue of left arm
D17.23	Benign lipomatous neoplasm of skin and subcutaneous tissue of right leg
D17.24	Benign lipomatous neoplasm of skin and subcutaneous tissue of left leg

Benign Lipomatous Neoplasms of Other Sites

Code	Description
D17.39	Benign lipomatous neoplasm of other intra-thoracic organs
D17.4	Benign lipomatous neoplasm of intra-abdominal organs
D17.79	Benign lipomatous neoplasm of other specified sites
D17.9	Benign lipomatous neoplasm, unspecified

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🔧 COMMON CPT CODES (Lipoma Excision & Pathology)

CPT Code	Description
11402	Excision, benign lesion including margins, except skin tag (unless listed elsewhere), trunk, arms or legs; excised diameter 1.1 to 2.0 cm
21930	Excision, tumor, soft tissue of back or flank, subcutaneous; less than 3 cm
21931	Excision, tumor, soft tissue of back or flank, subcutaneous; 3 cm or greater
21932	Excision, tumor, soft tissue of back or flank, subfascial (e.g., intramuscular); less than 5 cm
25075	Excision, tumor, soft tissue of forearm and/or wrist area, subcutaneous; less than 3 cm
88304	Level III - Surgical pathology, gross and microscopic examination (Lipomas are typically Level III, whereas most other skin lesion excisions are Level IV)

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⚠️ Coding Note: Coding the surgical removal of a lipoma depends heavily on the depth of the tumor documented in the operative report. If the lipoma is confined to the skin/superficial subcutaneous tissue and removed via a simple excision, the Integumentary System codes (11400-11446) are used based on the excised diameter. However, CPT guidelines state that if the lipoma is a distinct soft tissue tumor requiring deep subcutaneous, subfascial, or intramuscular dissection, coders must use the Musculoskeletal System excision codes (e.g., the 20000 series, such as 21930 or 25075). Always verify the anatomical location, size (including margins), and surgical depth before selecting the CPT code.

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DERIVATIONS of lipoma

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Query functionality

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Med roots Appendix A Prefixes Appendix B Combining Forms Appendix C Suffixes Appendix D Suffix forms