Rare adipose disorders: a review of clinical presentation, pathophysiology, and management with illustrative case series.
- 1Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, New York Presbyterian Hospital, Cornell and Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
- 2Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Harlem Hospital, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
Abstract
Rare adipose disorders are abnormal subcutaneous adipose tissue diseases that present as a spectrum of soft tissue abnormalities that may be encountered by plastic surgeons. Presentation ranges from distinct subcutaneous masses in characteristic distributions in the body to large generalized fatty deposits. It is imperative to recognize these rare adipose disorders, as they are typically refractory to standard treatment approaches to obesity, such as weight loss, lifestyle modifications, pharmacologic therapy, and bariatric surgery. In this review, we provide a complete and updated review of lipedema, Madelung disease, familial multiple lipomatosis, and Dercum's disease as well as present a case series highlighting our surgical approach to rare adipose disorders.
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BibTeX
@article{huang2026rare,
title = {{Rare adipose disorders: a review of clinical presentation, pathophysiology, and management with illustrative case series.}},
author = {Hao Huang and Dylan K Kim and Kathleen Gu and Terrence C Green and Ryan Engdahl},
journal = {JPRAS open},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.jpra.2026.10.014},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42997034},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Rare adipose disorders: a review of clinical presentation, pathophysiology, and management with illustrative case series.
AU - Hao Huang
AU - Dylan K Kim
AU - Kathleen Gu
AU - Terrence C Green
AU - Ryan Engdahl
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/21
JO - JPRAS open
DO - 10.1016/j.jpra.2026.10.014
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42997034
AB - Rare adipose disorders are abnormal subcutaneous adipose tissue diseases that present as a spectrum of soft tissue abnormalities that may be encountered by plastic surgeons. Presentation ranges from distinct subcutaneous masses in characteristic distributions in the body to large generalized fatty deposits. It is imperative to recognize these rare adipose disorders, as they are typically refractory to standard treatment approaches to obesity, such as weight loss, lifestyle modifications, pharmacologic therapy, and bariatric surgery. In this review, we provide a complete and updated review of lipedema, Madelung disease, familial multiple lipomatosis, and Dercum's disease as well as present a case series highlighting our surgical approach to rare adipose disorders.
SN - 2352-5878
ER -