HAMARTOMA IN THE ILEOCECAL REGION ASSOCIATED WITH CONGENITAL ABSENCE OF THE VERMIFORM APPENDIX-A CASE REPORT-

A case of hamartoma in the ileocecal region associated with congenital absence of the vermiform appendix is reported. A 21-year-old man was admitted to the hospital because of intestinal obstruction. With barium enema, a tumor arising from the ileocecal region causing intestinal obstruction was revealed. Ileocecal resection was then performed. In the surgical specimen, a slender polyp of 7×1.5cm in size was present in the first part of colon and additional several small polyps were located in the terminal ileum. Vermiform appendix was not present. Pathological findings of these polyps were hamartomatous proliferation of submucosal smooth muscle. Only 23 cases of hamartoma in the small intestine have been reported so far in Japan. Those tumors generally consisted of smooth muscular and grandular components. In contrast, the specific finding of this case was that the tumors were made up with single smooth muscular component. The present case was also associated with rare congenital absence of vermiform appendix.