Occipital Neuralgia Caused by an Intramuscular Lipoma. A Case Report

Occipital neuralgia is a type of chronic headache disorder in the dermatomes of the greater or lesser occipital nerve. (7) We describe here a rare case of occipital neuralgia caused by an intramuscular lipoma. A 45 year-old man presented with troublesome pain in the occipital area with 3 x 2 cm palpable mass in the right occipital region. Patient was treated by a neurologist. The X ray for cervical vertebrae and computed tomography was performed.

Computed tomography revealed a mass reminding intramuscular lipoma. Surgical management was indicated. During the operation stretching of the lesser occipital nerve was detected. After resection of lipoma on postoperative follow – up, the patient reported that the pain had resolved. During the histopathological examination, lipoma was confirmed.