Case report: unusual presentation of splenic hamartoma; computed tomography and ultrasonic findings

Hamartomas of the spleen are rare benign tumours, which are usually asymptomatic, incidental findings at laparotomy or autopsy (Komakl and Gombas, 1976; Brinkley and Lee, 1981; Norowitz and Morehouse, 1989). There are a few well documented reports of symptomatic splenic hamartoma associated with haematological disturbances, marked splenomegaly or even spontaneous rupture that required an emergency operation (Iozzo et al., 1980; Morgenstern et al., 1984). We report a patient with splenic hamartoma who presented with splenomegaly and iron deficiency anaemia. Computed tomographic (CT) and ultrasound (US) evaluation demonstrated an inhomogeneous mass within the enlarged spleen. Malignant melanoma was mistakenly diagnosed by US-guided fine needle aspiration of the mass, and necessitated splenectomy. The final diagnosis was hamartoma of the spleen.