UPPER ARM LIPOMAS – SURGERY PHOTOS

Photo 1: Due to the somewhat challenging location of the lipoma, I simulated the anticipated positioning in the operating room the evening before the surgery. I marked the boundaries of the growth (red dotted line) and tested and marked the optimal incision line along the lines of skin tension (green line). Here too, the length of the incision is smaller than that of the lipoma.
Photo 2: The actual positioning of the patient in the operating room, after induction of anesthesia and before the start of surgery or before sterile draping. All pressure points must be adequately cushioned, and there should be no tension exerted on the "suspended" limb. This photo illustrates how extensive the administrative effort can be—before the surgeon even wields their scalpel. It aims to emphasize that all of this effort, supported not least by the accompanying anesthesiologist, is crucial and is often completely overlooked in the appreciation of the respective operation. This is the case both by the patient and by any type of health insurance.

Photo 1: During the surgical dissection of the very large lipoma, that is just about to be “delivered”.
Photo 2: Beneath the lipoma, a sizable wound cavity and the underlying vascular and nerve structures of the arm are revealed. All of them could be preserved optimally. Photo 3: The excised lipoma postoperatively. After separation from the body and its fibrous attachments, it has typically collapsed by at least 1/3 of its original size within the body. It is evident that it has divided into numerous coherent "sub-lipomas" (lobulation).
Photo 4: The removed, large (and shrunken) lipoma in my hand, still during the surgery. It weighed 356 g. One might assume a higher weight at this size, but fat cells are very light. Much lighter than other forms of tissue, especially muscle.