Lungs are an extremely vulnerable organ in the human body. Bad ecology, bad habits, rapid changes in air temperature – these and many other phenomena harm the health of the entire pulmonary system. However, in addition to the explanatory causes of respiratory ailments, there are diseases whose occurrence is not associated with prolonged negative environmental impact. One of the most common “atypical” lung pathologies is called hamartoma .
The neoplasm is the result of intrauterine disorders in the process of development of the main respiratory organ. In this case, lung hamartoma may not be formed into a characteristic neoplasm. Gradual tumor growth is carried out throughout life, often without showing characteristic symptomatic signs.
What is hamartoma?
In fact, this benign formation is a rounded growth, consisting of its own lung tissue. In some cases, a tumor is formed from an accumulation of fibrous tissue (mainly in newborns) or into a kind of cartilaginous node. Depending on the degree of tumor development, its size can reach 5-7 centimeters.
As a rule, the detection of pulmonary pathology in adults occurs during a routine fluorography procedure. In the resulting image, the specialist reveals a highlighted fragment of the lobe of the lung (usually the left) located in the inner part of the organ. Tumor growth on the anterior wall of the lung is extremely rare.
It becomes possible to determine the presence of a tumor in newborns only if thorough ultrasound procedures are performed. The technique is called screening for pregnant women and is performed long before the birth of the baby.
Detected lung hamartoma requires a mandatory additional examination, which includes fluoroscopy, biopsy of the affected area, bronchoscopy. At the end of the study, the specialist determines the “status” of the tumor: whether it is a benign tumor or is it a precancerous (cancerous) pathology.
All these diagnostic procedures are also prescribed for newborn patients who have signs of pulmonary formation.
Treatment and prevention
The only way to eliminate hamartoma is surgical treatment. The removal of the pathology is carried out in a planned manner, since the occurrence of emergency cases of tumor activity is almost impossible.
In general, lung hamartoma may not pose a serious danger to human life and health. In some cases, the neoplasm does not change in size throughout life, in no way affecting the human capacity.
Hamartomas undergoing qualitative changes are subject to removal: increasing in size, acquiring a different shape and structure. Tumor growth can complicate breathing, aggravate the course of other bronchial diseases (bronchitis, specific asthma).
In order to avoid the development of this disease, it is necessary to regularly undergo a basic diagnostic procedure – fluorography, performed at least 1 time per year.
Despite the conditionally safe nature of pulmonary hamartoma , this type of disease needs constant medical supervision. The absence of dynamic changes in the development of the tumor avoids radical methods of treatment.
At the same time, a significant increase in the size of education, structural metamorphoses of hamartoma are a signal for early surgical treatment. In this case, only timely medical assistance becomes the key to preventing more serious complications, such as the formation of malignant tumors.