Benign symmetric lipomatosis (also known as Benign symmetric lipomatosis of Launois–Bensaude and Madelung's disease) is a cutaneous condition characterized by extensive symmetric fat deposits in the head, neck, and shoulder girdle area. Named after German surgeon Otto Wilhelm Madelung

Otto Wilhelm Madelung

Otto Wilhelm Madelung was a German surgeon who was a native of Gotha.In 1869 he received his medical doctorate from the University of Tübingen, and later worked in a military hospital during the Franco-Prussian War...

 who was the first to give a detailed description of it, the condition is very rare with an estimated incidence rate of 1 in 25,000 and affecting males up to 30 times more frequently than females. The etiology of the disease remains unknown, but there is a strong correlation with alcohol abuse. Traditionally the treatment is mainly surgical consisting of the removal of the lipomas, although recent study has proposed Phosphatidylcholine

Phosphatidylcholine

Phosphatidylcholines are a class of phospholipids that incorporate choline as a headgroup.They are a major component of biological membranes and can be easily obtained from a variety of readily available sources such as egg yolk or soy beans from which they are mechanically extracted or chemically...

injection as a possible alternative.