Pulmonary hamartoma: diagnosis by transthoracic needle-aspiration biopsy.

Abstract

Hamartomas of the lung often present as asymptomatic, noncharacteristic masses that can seldom be differentiated from other lung masses such as primary cancer or metastases by conventional radiography. Transthoracic needle-aspiration biopsy (TNAB) has become a popular and reliable method for the diagnosis of a lung lesion, and it offers a valuable alternative to diagnostic thoracotomy. In our study, TNAB established the diagnosis of pulmonary hamartoma in 12 of 14 (86%) patients. In eight patients, one procedure (using one to three punctures) was sufficient to establish the diagnosis, and, in four patients, two procedures (using one to two punctures) were necessary. In two patients, the lesion was missed on second and/or third biopsy procedures, and the correct diagnosis was obtained at surgery. Cytologic examination of the material was diagnostic in five of the 14 patients. Tissue specimens were sent in 13/14 patients, and findings of histologic examination established the correct diagnosis in 11 of these patients. One of the 12 patients in whom hamartoma was correctly diagnosed by TNAB underwent resection of his lesion, and histologic examination confirmed the diagnosis. In the remaining 11 patients, the lesions have been stable on follow-up chest examinations.

Cell blocks histopathology versus FNA cytology in diagnosis of primary malignant lung mass: A comparative study

“…16 The variation in technique may have contributed to either the success or failure of obtaining adequate samples which are largely dependent on the skill of the aspirator and high cellularity of the aspirate. The sensitivity and specificity of the present study are comparable to that of Khouri et al, 17 Hamper et al 18 and Rangaswamy et al 19 In a study done by Mondal, CT guided FNAC showed almost perfect agreement with histological diagnosis. 3 So FNAC was found to be highly accurate (95%) in the diagnosis of lung mass as almost similar finding was shown by previous studies.…”

Pulmonary Hamartoma

“…4 It was derived from the Greek word for "error" and first appeared in medical literature in 1904. 5 The term implies a "tumor-like" condition from an embryological malformation.…”

“…4,[22][23][24] The histologic features of FNA samples of pulmonary hamartomas include the presence of organized or disorganized cartilage alone or in combination with fibromyxomatous tissue, fat, and/or epithelial cells. 4 However, a 22% false-positive rate where malignancy was diagnosed in lieu of the actual diagnosis of hamartoma has been reported for FNA specimens. 22 The errors were attributed to failure of the pathologist to recognize the mesenchymal component of the hamartoma and the benign nature of the epithelial component.…”

Hamartoma pulmonar como diagnóstico diferencial de metástase de carcinoma de mama: relato de caso

“…When cartilage fragments are present on cytology, the diagnosis is highly suggestive of hamartoma. (4) If a diagnosis has not been made, since percutaneous biopsy is not nary metastases have been studied. Positron emission computed tomography using glucose marked with fluoride 18, which is an imaging method with high specificity for malignant diseases, (16) can be cited as an example.…”