Endobronchial Hamartoma Masquerading as Endobronchial Tuberculosis-A Case Report

Endobronchial hamartoma (EH) is a rare benign bronchial tumour that represents a small subset of pulmonary hamartomas. EH often presents with non-specific symptoms and may mimic malignancy or chronic infections such as tuberculosis, leading to delayed diagnosis or inappropriate treatment. We report here a case of a 60-year-old man who presented with 6 months of progressive dyspnoea and productive cough, and 2 months of low-grade fever. Flexible bronchoscopy showed an endobronchial mass, and forceps biopsies performed twice were reported as granulomatous inflammation. He received antitubercular treatment based on presumptive diagnosis of endobronchial tuberculosis. However, there was no clinical and radiological improvement despite 7 months of treatment. We performed rigid bronchoscopy and removed the endobronchial tumour using an electrocautery snare and cryoextraction. The excisional biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of EH. This case highlights the limitations of small biopsy specimens in diagnosing hamartoma and reemphasises the role of advanced pulmonary interventions, such as electrocautery snare and cryotherapy, as diagnostic-cum-therapeutic tools in such lesions.