Is There Anything in a Biopsy of a Lipoma That Can Help Diagnose Dercum's Disease?

I believe I have Dercum's Disease or Adiposis Dolorosa. I have lumps in my arms, legs, back, sides and throughout my abdomen. I saw a dermatologist today and have been scheduled for a biopsy or one or two lipomas. She mentioned the possibility of angiolipomas. Can a biopsy help diagnose Dercum's or will it just rule out other things? What CAN it tell me? What if (as I suspect) many of these are angiolipomas, and she begins to remove one that's attached to many? Will most doctors halt procedure?

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1 Doctor Answer | Asked by Wendy Darling

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Dercum's disease

Dercum's disease is a diagnosis by ruling out other conditions. Nothing in a lipoma biobsy that will diagnose Dercum's disease. It is a medical condition not a dermatologic disease, it is possibly an auto-immune disease. Treatment is geared at managing the pain. It is not a surgical disease.

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bdcouture 20 Aug 2012

If the pathology report reads "ruptured cyst with foreign body granuloma," that means that the lipoma was an angiolipoma, meaning it was vascularized. I know this because I talked to the pathologist who wrote this on my path report. There are 7-9 types of lipomas, all with fancy names, such as osteolipoma for those that form within bone. Tell your surgeon to carefully remove the pedicle, which is a tail like structure that can wrap around nerves and can grow through fascsia and muscle. See Utube "My Mom's Lipoma Surgery" to see an actual pedicle! If it is not removed, the lipoma will grow back.

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