Breast ImagingHamartoma
a
benign tumoural
proliferation of cells normally present in the structure harbouring the
lesion. Although the cells are in a normal location, they are disorganized. In the breast such circumscribed lesions may consist of locally dense
fibrosis, a fibrolipomatous pattern of growth which may also contain ductal elements, or a
lesion containing
fibrosis, smooth muscle and ducts. A hamartoma is not usually palpable, but may be felt as a discoid
tumour. It occurs in all age groups. The imaging features of hamartoma are variable, depending on the composition of the
lesion. In the absence of fatty tissue a hamartoma appears as a homogeneously dense, well circumscribed
tumour, indistinguishable from other circumscribed lesions (
Fig.1). If the hamartoma contains significant amounts of fat, the
lesion has a characteristic, speckled appearance, surrounded by a capsule-like structure, corresponding to a
adenofibrolipoma. Also, on ultrasonography the
echogenicity varies depending on the composition of the
lesion.
IA/JT
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Mammogram, mediolateral oblique view of a 60-year old asymptomatic woman showing an ovoid, mainly circumscribed tumour of homogeneously high density except for areas mainly of fat attenuation in the upper part of the lesion (arrows).
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Hamartoma, Fig.1 | |