The challenge of pulmonary endobronchial chondromatous hamartomas.

Pulmonary chondromatous (or chondroid) hamartomas are common benign tumours of the lung and may be either parenchymal or endobronchial. The latter are only rarely encountered and have a variation in their clinical presentation related to the endobronchial obstructive lesion, including atelectasis, pneumonia, hemoptysis. If not diagnosed early and treated properly, endobronchial hamartomas can cause irreversible lung damage. We present a review of the recent English literature over the diagnostic approach and management of pulmonary endobronchial chondromatous hamartomas.