Endobronchial hamartoma

Objectives: To describe clinical, endoscopic, radiographic, and follow-up characteristics of a series of patients in whom endobronchial hamartoma (EH) had been diagnosed. Methods: Retrospective study of all cases of hamartoma diagnosed by bronchial biopsy between 1974 and 1997 in a tertiary referral hospital in Madrid, Spain. Results: EH was diagnosed 47 patients during the study period. Four patients were excluded from the study because no clinical history was available. We analyzed the cases of 43 patients (37 men and 6 women), with a mean (+/- SD) age of 62 +/- 12 years. Seven patients had a concurrent lung neoplasm, and the EH was an incidental endoscopic finding. Among the other 36 patients, 31 bad a new onset of respiratory symptoms, most commonly, recurrent respiratory infections in 16 patients (44%) and hemoptysis in a further 12 patients (33.4%). Chest radiograph findings were abnormal in 38 of 43 patients. At bronchoscopy, the lesions were equally distributed throughout the right and left lungs with no clear lobar predilection. Endobronchial obstruction was evident in 26 patients (72.2%) without concurrent neoplasm, 17 of whom underwent resection with a rigid bronchoscope and laser, with total resolution in 13 patients. Partial resolution was achieved in four patients, two of whom needed a second endoscopic procedure. Five patients were treated with open lung surgery. Clinical and endoscopic follow-up was performed in 23 patients at I to 73 months (mean, 17 months), and recurrence was found in 4 patients. Conclusion: EH frequently produces respiratory complaints and radiographic abnormalities. Patients with endobronchial obstructions had satisfactory responses to endoscopic therapy.