Case of Mesenchymal Hamartoma of Chest Wall in Neonate

Abstract

A case of mesenchymal hamartoma of the chest wall in a 0-day-old female neonate is reported. The baby was vaginally delivered following an unremarkable prenatal course. Computed tomography revealed that the tumor originated from the posterior part of the left 6th rib and with a bony outer shell. This tumor was suspected as osteochondroma, and was progressively growing and should then be considered malignant. Total resection of the tumor with the posterior portion of the 6th rib was performed. A prosthetic material was not used to close the chest wall defect. The histopathological diagnosis was mesenchymal hamartoma of the chest wall from the rib. Neither recurrence nor scoliosis was observed one year after surgery. This tumor is extremely rare; however, its Xp, CT and MRI findings are specific, and it is necessary to consider it when treating chest wall mass lesions in neonates. According to the literature, this tumor should be surgically resected; however, several recent reports revealed that the tumor tends to regress or vanish spontaneously. We discuss the therapeutic strategy and its prognosis in this report.