Clinical Analysis of Pulmonary Hamartoma: 29 Cases / 결핵

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary hamartomas are the most common form of benign tumors, occurring in approximately 0.2% of routine autopsies. However, only a few reports on the clinical characteristics of pulmonary hamartoma in Korea have been published. METHODS: The charts, X-rays and pathological specimens of 29 pulmonary hamartoma patients who were diagnosed by a pathological examination from 1990 to 1999 at the Catholic Medical Center were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: The peak incidence of the tumor occurred in the sixth decade of life (37.5%). Seventeen patients (58.6%) were asymptomatic and 12 patients (41.4%) had symptoms. Chest discomfort was the most common symptom (31.0%). A total of 25 tumors (86.2%) were parenchymal, and 4 (13.8%) were endobronchial. Twenty cases were in the right lung and 9 cases were in the left lung (approximately 12.2). The RLL was the most commonly involved lobe (31.0%). Calcification was noted in 5 cases (19.2%) on a plain X-ray and in 5 cases (29.4%) on chest CT. Accompanied neoplasms were observed in 2 cases. Twenty-four hamartomas (82.8%) were diagnosed by a surgical resection and 4 cases (13.8%) were diagnosed by a fine needle aspiration biopsy. Twenty-six hamartomas (89.7%) were managed by a surgical resection. The follow up ranged from 4 to 55 months (mean, 19.6 months) and no recurrent pulmonary hamartomas were noted. CONCLUSION: Pulmonary hamartoma is more common in females and more commonly involved in the right lung. Calcification was noted only in 19.2% on a plain chest X-ray and 29.4% on a chest CT. No recurrent hamartomas had developed during the follow up period.