Death Related to a Congenital Vascular Anomaly of Pulmonary Hamartoma Type: Malpractice or Tragic Fatality?

In forensic pathology, apparently straightforward cases can often hide rarities that, if not correctly interpreted, can alter the results of the entire investigation, leading to misinterpretations. This occurs when the investigation is conducted to assess medical malpractice. An unexpected death, with no known apparent cause, is often linked to an underlying disease process of unclear etiological origin whose nature can, unfortunately, be properly investigated only post-mortem. This presentation shows a case study, in which it was possible to reconduct the death of a patient to a natural pathology and not to medical treatment. Here, the authors illustrate a case with a hamartoma developed in chronic inflammatory conditions (bronchiectasis) that was difficult to differentiate from lung cancer due to the inability to perform specific instrumental examinations. The hamartoma, usually benign and identifiable by standard instrumental investigations, in this case, led to the patient’s death precisely during the execution of a bronchoscopy. However, in the absence of a certain cause of death, public opinion unanimously attributes a patient’s disease to medical error. Indeed, a routine practice such as bronchoscopy should not cause death and consequently, the doctor must have made a mistake. Fortunately, the autopsy not only demonstrated the origin of the bleeding but also unveiled the reason for this, as rare congenital lung disease. Fate, one might say.

CYSTIC PULMONARY HAMARTOMA MANIFESTING AS SPONTANEOUS PNEUMOTHORAX

Cystic hamartoma refers to rare benign lung tumors. The literature describes 17 cases of this disease. The tumor may look like multiple bilateral cysts or a solitary single-chamber or multi-chamber cyst of a large size, which makes it difficult to diagnose. The disease can be complicated by spontaneous pneumothorax. The cyst itself often looks like a pneumothorax. An observation of a 52-year-old man complaining of chest pain and shortness of breath is presents. On the x-ray, the left lung is compressed with air, which is regarded as a spontaneous pneumothorax. Two-day drainage did not give any results. The video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery technique was performed and a large air cyst was detected. A conversion to a thoracotomy was made. A cyst of 20×15 cm size originated from the lower lobe, the lung was in atelectasis. Cyst resection and lung decortication were performed. Histological examination of the cyst wall revealed a hamartoma of the lung. The postoperative period was uneventful. Differential diagnosis of cystic hamartoma is conducting with lymphangioleiomyomatosis, air cysts, extrapulmonary sequestration, echinococcal cysts, and lung cancer. Indications for surgery are the following: chest pain, shortness of breath, pneumothorax, and hemoptysis. In a unilateral process, a cyst resection or lobectomy have to be performed. Cystic pulmonary hamartoma should be included in the differential diagnostic range in patients with recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax, hemoptysis, single and multiple lung cysts. It is impossible to determine the diagnosis without a biopsy and histological examination.

Pulmonary Hamatroma

Pulmonary hamartoma are common benign tumor of lung. These are composed of variable components of cartilage, fat, smooth muscles and respiratory epithelium. Most patients are asymptomatic with few present with pulmonary symptoms. The neoplasm is less common in young with surgical excision being the treatment of choice. Histopathology revealed the true pathological nature of the tumor.

Incidental Benign Giant Pulmonary Chondroid Hamartoma

Hamartomas constitute a small portion of all pulmonary neoplasms. Here we present a case which was found incidentally on CT scan of the abdomen, a rare case of a giant pulmonary hamartoma (PH) was identified in the lower lobe of the left lung. The patient underwent a left exploratory thoracotomy and left lower lobectomy and the lesion was removed and identified as a chondroid hamartoma. The patient recovered successfully and obtained a repeated CT scan in 3 months, which showed no residual disease or recurrence

Pulmonary Hamartoma Associated With Lung Cancer (PHALC Study): Results of a Multicenter Study

Purpose Pulmonary hamartoma is the most common benign tumor of the lung. We analyzed a 20-year historical series of patients with pulmonary hamartoma undergoing surgical resection, aiming to evaluate the characteristics, the outcomes, and the association between hamartoma and lung cancer. Methods It was a retrospective multicenter study including the data of all consecutive patients with pulmonary hamartoma undergoing surgical resection. The end-points were to evaluate: (i) the characteristics of hamartoma, (ii) outcomes, and (iii) whether hamartoma was a predictive factor for lung cancer development Results Our study population included 540 patients. Upfront surgical or endoscopic resection was performed in 385 (71%) cases while in the remaining 155 (29%) cases, the lesions were resected 20 ± 3.5 months later due to increase in size. In most cases, lung sparing resection was carried out including enucleation (n = 259; 48%) and wedge resection (n = 230; 43%) while 5 (1%) patients underwent endoscopic resection. Only two patients (0, 2%) had major complications. One patient (0.23%) had recurrence after endoscopic resection, while no cases of malignant degeneration were seen (mean follow-up:103.3 ± 93 months). Seventy-six patients (14%) had associated lung cancer, synchronous in 9 (12%) and metachronous in 67 (88%). Only age > 70-year-old (p = 0.0059) and smokers > 20 cigarettes/day (p < 0.0001) were the significant risk factors for lung cancer. Conclusion PH was a benign tumor, with no evidence of recurrence and/or of malignant degeneration after resection. The association between hamartoma and lung cancer was a spurious phenomenon due to common risk factors.