MANILA, Philippines ? It wasn?t a cyst but a benign tumor called ?lipoma.?

In a counter-affidavit, which he filed yesterday at the Makati Prosecutor?s Office, cosmetic doctor Manuel Calayan said his Filipino-American patient got it wrong when he accused the surgeon of negligence in removing a soft mass in his stomach through liposuction instead of surgery.

Unlike a cyst, a lipoma is ?soft to touch and usually movable and generally painless. And because of the fat content thereof, a lipoma may be removed by means of liposuction,? the doctor said.

Calayan was responding to a complaint lodged by Louem Martinez, also known as Louem Boschuk, who blamed the surgeon for the growth of a ?cyst? in his stomach after a liposuction.

Martinez is the same patient who accused Calayan of botching a penis enlargement procedure that he claimed led to the disfigurement of his penis. Calayan had denied any liability.

In his counter-affidavit, the doctor, who gained fame for his celebrity clients, said a physical examination he conducted prior to the September 2007 operation led him to conclude that the growth in Martinez? stomach was a lipoma, not a cyst.

He said the difference between the two terms should be stressed because lipoma, ?a benign tumor composed of fatty tissue,? may be removed through liposuction because of its fat content.

On the other hand, a cyst is defined as ?a bladder, and abnormal sac containing gas, fluid, or a semisolid material, with a membranous lining,? Calayan added.

He cited medical references, such as the 2003 Guidelines for Liposuction Surgery appearing in the American Journal of Cosmetic Surgery, which indicate liposuction as one method to remove a lipoma.

?Accordingly, the removal of a lipoma through liposuction or through the use of liposuction techniques is an accepted and safe medical procedure which other cosmetic surgeons would also employ when faced with the same situation,? Calayan said in the affidavit he filed through lawyer Reggie Ukol.

In his complaint, Martinez said he underwent liposuction to remove the mass as part of a ?package deal? Calayan offered him with the penis enhancement operation, but the procedure allegedly did not work, and the ?cyst? grew bigger.