Lung hamartoma--diagnosis and treatment

Abstract

Pulmonary hamartoma, the most common benign tumor of the lung, is most often presented as a solitary pulmonary nodule of a peripheral localization. We report a case of a large, centrally located, invisible in chest X-ray, hystopathologicaly (PH) verified hamartoma. A 63-year-old male was admitted for hospital treatment with obvious symptoms and signs of right-sided lobar pneumonia. His treatment was started with a combination of antibiotics Ceftriaxone and Ciprofloxacin. Because of his obviously bad condition with wheezing and bronchial secret in his lungs, an urgent bronchoscopy was performed. A huge amount of bronchial secret was found in his bronchial tree and, surprisingly, a tumor in the upper left lobe. For further evaluation computed tomography (CT) scan was performed and it verified right pneumonia but, it also revealed large (13.3 x 11.2 mm) endobronchial tumor in upper left lobe which wasn't clinically or radiographically presented. From a bronchobiopsy, we received an inconclusive PH finding. It was concluded that the best treatment is a surgical sleeve resection lobectomy, which was performed. Definite pathohistological finding was hamartoma and the patient was successfully healed.