Nasopharyngeal Hamartoma in Adults: A Case Report

Background: A nasopharyngeal hamartoma (NH) is a very rare congenital, benign condition in which there is an unorganized growth of mature tissues found at the site of the lesion.Hamartomas are typically found in organs like the liver, lungs and kidneys, but when the adult nasopharynx is involved, it is very rare and diagnosis and management are important.Case Presentation: A 42-year-old man with occasional nasal congestion was incidentally found to have a 10-mm nasopharyngeal polyp during routine endoscopy.The computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and narrow-band imaging showed a well circumscribed lesion with no malignant features.It was totally resected endoscopically with general anesthesia.Histopathological examination showed pseudostratified columnar epithelium, with a small amount of salivary gland tissue, adipose tissue and smooth muscle fibers, which confirmed the diagnosis of nasopharyngeal hamartoma.Postoperative course was uneventful.Conclusion: Adult NH is a very unusual condition that can be found by chance and have mild symptoms.Full endoscopic, radiological and histopathological examination is important for proper diagnosis and exclusion of malignancy.Complete endoscopy is an effective treatment and prognosis is excellent, with very low risk of recurrence.