[Clinical characteristics of resected bronchial hamartoma. Study of seven cases]. / Particularités anatomocliniques des hamartochondromes endobronchiques opérés. Étude de sept cas.

INTRODUCTION: Endobronchial hamartoma is a benign tumour derived from peribronchial mesenchymal tissue. It is a form of intrapulmonary hamartoma and can cause irreversible pulmonary destruction due to bronchial obstruction. Early diagnosis and treatment is very important and endoscopic treatment is usually the first choice. In cases in which prolonged bronchial obstruction has produced irreversible lung destruction surgical, resection of the tumour is necessary. The aim of this study is to describe the clinicopathological characteristics of resected endobronchial hamartoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Seven cases of endobronchial hamartoma, diagnosed in our institution between January 1995 and December 2009, were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: The patient population consisted of four males and three females with mean age of 53.7 years (41-68 years). The most frequent clinical presentation was obstructive pneumonia. Endoscopy and imaging showed an endobronchial mass in most cases. Surgical treatment consisted of atypical resection in one case, lobectomy in five cases and pneumonectomy in one case. Tumour size ranged between 0.5 and 3.5 cm. The diagnosis was confirmed in all cases by histological examination. The outcome was favorable in all cases. CONCLUSION: Endoscopic techniques are effective for the diagnosis and treatment of endobronchial hamartochondroma. Treatment should be prompt to prevent irreversible lung damage due to chronic obstruction and suppuration, in which case, pulmonary resection may be necessary.

Desmoid-type chest wall fibromatosis. A six cases series.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: Desmoid-type fibromatosis is a fibroblastic proliferation that develops in the deep soft tissues and is characterized by infiltrative growth and a tendency towards local recurrence but does not metastasize. Fibromatosis of the chest wall is rare, representing only 10 to 20% of all deep fibromatoses. CASE REPORT: We report a six cases series of fibromatosis of the chest wall treated at our institution between 1996 and 2009. There were five men and one woman with a mean age of 42.2. Swelling of the chest wall was the most frequent symptom. Imaging showed an expansive homogeneous mass, invading the rib (four cases) or the sternum (two cases). Surgical resection was performed in all cases. The outcome was favorable (five cases) or marked by local recurrence (one case). DISCUSSION: Although it is considered to be a benign lesion, this tumor can be locally very aggressive, and has a high local recurrence rate depending upon the efficacy of surgical resection.