Subcutaneous chest wall hamartoma: Case report

Abstract

chest wall hamartoma is one of the rare findings in the practice of pediatrics surgery. The usual origin of chest wall hamartoma in literature are the ribs. Here we report a very rare case of hamartoma arising from the subcutaneous tissue of the chest wall. a 3 years old female child presented with painless chest wall swelling of 1 year duration. On examination, the mass was soft-firm, nontender and mobile measuring 5cm by 7 cm and located on the posterolateral chest. Chest x-ray showed soft tissue mass otherwise no rib abnormality. She was operated with a finding of solid mass with multi cystic component in the subcutaneous tissue with no extension to the ribs or the underlying muscles with clear margin of demarcation. Mass was completely excised and sent for pathology examination which showed hamartomatous lesion. Our patient has smooth post-operative course and discharged on her 5th post-operative day. Although chest wall hamartoma not arising from the rib is a very rare finding, it can mimic several benign and malignant lesions arising from the chest wall. Hence, preoperative imaging and proper pathologic evaluation are important to differentiate it from other masses.