2023 Volume 162 Pages 59-63
Hamartomas are benign tumors or non-neoplastic malformations. They occur most often in the lungs and kidneys, and are rarely encountered in the nasal cavity or sinus cavities.
A woman in her 60s with the chief complaints of nasal congestion and rhinorrhea who had been diagnosed and treated as a case of chronic sinusitis with nasal polyps was referred to the otolaryngology department of Toyama Red Cross Hospital. She was found to have a deviated nasal septum and a mass in the right nasal cavity, the base of which was behind the nasal septum. CT showed no soft tissue opacities in the paranasal sinuses. We performed surgery to resect the mass along with the proximal posterior nasal septum and anterior wall of the right sphenoid sinus. Histopathology of the resected specimen revealed a rare respiratory epithelial adenomatoid hamartoma (REAH). The postoperative course was favorable, and the follow-up of the patient was terminated after 8 years without disease recurrence.
It is difficult to judge REAH by visual inspection in a case of chronic sinusitis with nasal polyps or benign tumors. When polypoid lesions are found in daily clinical practice, it is important to always keep in mind the possibility of the complication of REAH.
