A CASE OF SPLENIC HAMARTOMA

Abstract

We report a very rare case of splenic hamartoma found incidentally. A 47-year-old asymptomatic woman was pointed out a splenic mass by screening ultrasound. Further examinations revealed a round, well-demarcated and homogenous 4cm mass which appeared as hyperechoic area on ultrasound, low density area on plain CT with faint enhancement on enhanced CT. The mass was demonstrated as an area of slightly high intensity on T1-weighted MRI images and as an area of isointensity on T2-weighted images. Selective angiogram showed irregular stretching of the arteries in the mass. There was no neovascularity or pooling. Tumormarkers were within normal limits.
As it was difficult to differentiate it from other malignant lesions, a splenectomy was subsequently performed. The excised spleen showed a well-defined and gray-whitish mass in the inferior spleen. Microscopically, the tumor was noncapsulated and was mainly consisted of dilated vessels with an overgrowth of endothelial cells and mature lipocytes, which was coincident with the diagnosis of splenic hamartoma.