Results of computerized tomography of pulmonary hamartochondromes

Hamartochondromes are rare, benign neoplasms. CT findings for 25 patients with patho-histologically confirmed hamartochondromes were investigated with hindsight for characteristic marks. 96% had a solitary manifestation in the lateral area of the lungs, in 100% of cases the margin was sharply defined. Intratumoral calcium was confirmed in 28%. For judging the outer layer and calcium inlays, thin-layer computerized tomography (2 millimetres distance) is superior to conventional demonstration with sections at 8 millimetres distance. In 56% of cases, a correct diagnosis or differential diagnosis was made on the basis of the computerized tomogram. (orig.)