Subcutaneous Oleomas Following Sunflower Oil Injection: A Novel Case and Review of Literature

Abstract

Liquid foreign material injection has been used as an early medical intervention since the end of nineteenth century for the augmentation of body shape. Nowadays, these types of procedures have been abandoned by health professionals due to late onset of serious complications. However, it is still misused by some subcultures such as bodybuilders, passive homosexuals, transsexuals, and patients with mental illness. This article discusses a male patient who injected himself with a large amount of sunflower oil, which became complicated by an inflammatory response-abscess formation and sclerosing lipogranuloma of breasts. The radiologic and pathologic signs of this entity are discussed with a review of the relevant literature. Lack of suspicion of this entity may cause a great delay in establishment of definitive diagnosis, giving rise to prominent morbidity and mortality. It is necessary to know the diagnosis and treatment of this phenomenon because illegal substances that cause factitial panniculitis are widely available on websites and threaten thousands of people, which is anecdotally referred in medical literature. Chronic or recurrent lesions of a bizarre or atypical morphology should alert the physician to this artificial phenomenon. Radiologic findings are most important criteria for diagnosis because selfinjection is denied by the patient.

Keywords

• breast
• panniculitis
• subcutaneous injection
• magnetic resonance imaging
• ultrasound