Giant duodenal hamartoma consisting mainly of Brunner's glands

A successfully treated case of a duodenal hamartoma is presented. A review of the literature has shown that this is the largest such tumor so far described, and the first time a mass was palpable on abdominal examination. Its large size resulted in pyloric obstruction, and its wide attachment to the duodenum necessitated a Polya-type partial gastrectomy during its removal. The pathologic controversy which has led to the classification of these Brunner's gland proliferations as duodenal hamartomas is briefly presented.