Bronchoscopic features and bronchoscopic intervention for endobronchial hamartoma

Background and objective:  Bronchoscopic resection of endobronchial hamartomas has been reported to have a favourable outcome. This study describes the bronchoscopic features of endobronchial hamartoma and reports the clinical outcome of bronchoscopic intervention. Methods:  A retrospective analysis was conducted of patients with histologically proven endobronchial hamartomas, diagnosed in the 10-year period 1999–2009 to elucidate the clinical, radiological and bronchoscopic features of hamartoma and to describe the clinical outcomes. Results:  Seventeen of the 135 patients with pulmonary hamartomas were diagnosed as having endobronchial hamartomas. CXR was abnormal in 11 of the 17 patients. On chest CT (n = 16), the median diameter of the lesion was 15.6 mm. Calcification and areas of focal fat in the lesion, the diagnostic CT findings of pulmonary hamartoma, were found in two of 16 (12.5%) patients. At bronchoscopy (n = 16), all tumours had a mass appearance and most were smooth surfaced round masses (50.0%) with 18.8% having a ‘stalk’. Bronchoscopic forceps biopsies were performed in 13 patients, which resulted in five patients (38.5%) being diagnosed with endobronchial hamartoma. Fifteen patients were treated with rigid or flexible bronchoscopic resection, one had lobectomy, and one had no intervention. No procedure-related mortalities or late complications developed. Conclusions:  Bronchoscopic intervention appears to be a safe and effective method to resect endobronchial hamartomas.