Clinical and characteristic features of surgically treated endobronchial hamartoma cases: analysis of twenty-two cases

Abstract

Purpose: Endobronchial hamartomas are tumors originating from peribronchial mesenchymal tissues. Generally, endobronchial methods are used in the treatment of these tumors, which are usually benign. Surgery is used in cases of endobronchial hamartoma that cannot be fully treated with endobronchial methods, or that developed parenchyma destruction due to bronchial obstruction. The objective of this study is to assess clinical and characteristic features of surgically treated cases of endobronchial hamartoma.

Materials and methods: Twenty-two patients who underwent anatomic resection between 1988 and 2011 in our clinic were diagnosed with hamartoma. Clinical and characteristic features of these patients (17 males and 5 females) were assessed retrospectively via patient records.

Results: Patients were aged between 43 and 72 (average 54.4). Fifteen patients underwent lobectomy (lobectomy for 13 patients, bilobectomy for 1), 6 patients underwent bronchotomy, 1 patient underwent tracheotomy and 1 underwent pneumonectomy. Pathologic diagnosis was chondromatosis hamartoma for 9 patients and lipomatosis hamartoma for 6 patients; dominant cell type was not detected for 7 patients. No surgery-related mortality was observed. No recurrence was observed for patients after the surgery.

Conclusions: Endoscopic treatment methods yield successful results in endobronchial hamartomas. However, surgery is required in cases that develop irreversible parenchymal destruction due to chronic obstruction and suppuration, or those that cannot be treated via endobronchial methods.