Published online Oct 16, 2013. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v1.i7.217
Revised: August 8, 2013
Accepted: August 20, 2013
Published online: October 16, 2013
Processing time: 95 Days and 12.1 Hours
Splenic hamartoma is a rare benign malformation, composed of an anomalous mixture of normal splenic elements, often found incidentally while working up other complaints or at autopsy. A splenic mass was incidentally found while evaluating the effects of a traffic accident in a 63-year-old woman. Abdominal computed tomography revealed a well-defined splenic mass with rim enhancement. The patient underwent splenectomy. The resected spleen contained a well-defined mass lesion measuring 3.5 cm × 3.0 cm. Microscopic examination revealed disorganized slit-like vascular channels lined by plump endothelial cells without atypia. The cells lining the vascular channels were positive for CD8, CD31, CD34 and vimentin. Endothelial cells that are positive for CD8 are a key feature that differentiates hamartoma from other vascular lesions of the spleen. Although this tumor is very rare, it must be included in the differential diagnosis of splenic mass-forming lesions.
Core tip: It is important to consider that splenic hamartoma is included in the differential diagnosis of splenic mass-like lesions, although it is a benign and very rare.