We present a case of a hamartoma of mature cardiac myocytes. This is an extremely rare tumour and the first reported paediatric case localised in the left atrium.

We describe a multicystic tumor of the atrial septum associated with a fatal cardiac malformation. The tumor contained bronchogenic cysts and two types of vascular hamartomas. A complex form of double outlet right ventricle was present. We speculate that this tumor formed at a critical time in cardiac embryogenesis and contributed to the abnormal formation of the heart.

Hamartomas of the cerebellopontine angle or internal auditory canal are very rare and only four cases have been reported. We report an unusual case of a glioneural hamartoma of the VIIIth nerve with clinical, radiological and audiometric similarity with vestibular schwannoma.

We present a case report of a female patient with complaints of single-sided nasal obstruction. A polypoid structure was seen in the nasopharynx. Histologic examination showed a respiratory epithelial adenomatoid hamartoma – a rare, benign lesion. Therapy consisted of complete excision. In line with previous reports, the lesion did not recur during 13 months of follow up. The clinical and pathological features of this abnormality are discussed.

Intramuscular vascular lesions in the tongue are rare and are usually the capillary form of haemangioma. A case is described of a lingual mass that resembled intramuscular haemangioma but had unique histological features that do not appear to have been described previously. The term intramuscular capillary hamartoma is suggested to describe it.

A case of respiratory epithelial adenomatoid hamartoma of the maxillary sinus is reported. Glandular hamartomas involving the sinonasal tract have received only limited documentation in the literature. The differential diagnosis of adenomatoid hamartoma includes schneiderian papilloma of the inverted type and adenocarcinoma. Limited but complete surgical resection is the treatment of choice.

This paper describes the case of a 41-year-old female with tuberous sclerosis who persented with a large tongue-base hamartoma. The surgical management of the patient was complicated by the presence of a large thyroid goitre. Awake fibre-optic intubation, thyroidectomy then tracheostomy were necessary before the tongue-base hamartoma could be safely resected. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of a tongue-base hamartoma in a patient with tuberous sclerosis.

A 4-month-old boy with Proteus syndrome underwent a successful operation for a left abdominal mass due to hydroureter and hydronephrosis with left ureterovesical stenosis. The operation lasted 4.5 h under general anaesthesia; there were no anaesthetic complications. There is only one previous report on anaesthesia in a patient with Proteus syndrome.

A new-born boy with severe stridor was found to have a laryngeal hamartoma. The airway was secured by means of a tracheostomy, and the hamartoma was subtotally resected endoscopically using a carbon dioxide laser. A good functional result was achieved, even though decannulation was delayed until the age of 33 months. This is the ninth known case of hamartoma of the larynx and the sixth presenting with stridor in the neonatal period.

Giant polypoidal hamartomas of the pharynx and oesophagus are rare benign tumours of unknown origin, exceptionally arising from the oropharynx. We report the case of a 74-year-old man who developed sudden nausea and a foreign body sensation. Shortly afterwards he regurgitated a 25 × 3 × 1.5 cm pedunculated fleshy mass, still attached to the inside of his throat. The patient was anaesthetised, the mass traced to the right tonsillar fossa and adjacent oropharyngeal wall. The pedicle was clamped and the lesion excised. Histology was consistent with a giant oropharyngeal hamartoma. We discuss the pathogenesis and potential complications of this condition. The literature is reviewed.

A rare and possibly unique benign polypoid tumour of the palatine tonsil is described. It contained the two basic tissue types of the tonsil–lymphoid and epithelial–in the characteristic close anatomical relationship of tonsillar tissue. The features of this rare lesion lend support to the hypothesis that benign tumours of the tonsil may be hamartomas of tonsil or branchiogenic remnants rather than true neoplasms.

A female infant nine months of age presented with a bilobed swelling at the base of her tongue. Histological examination showed it to be a hamartoma of the tongue. Lingual hamartomas are rare. There are fifteen case reports of lingual hamartoma in the world literature. Our case is presented and the previous case reports are reviewed.

Ectopic ‘hamartomatous’ thymoma is a rare benign neoplasm. These tumours are found in the neck and are thought to be part of a spectrum of ectopic cervical thymic neoplasia. The clinical and histological features are discussed and the literature is reviewed. An attempt is made to explain in embryological terms why such lesions appear to occur more commonly on the left side.

A 41-year-old male Egyptian patient presented with difficulty in swallowing, snoring, and the sensation of a lump in his throat over a long period of time. On examination, a left tonsillar polyp was seen ( 4 × 2 × 1 cm) which was pedunculated, bilobulate, with an intact surface. The polyp was excised under local anaesthesia and histopathological examination revealed an haemangiomatous hamartomatous polyp.