MYOEPITHELIAL HAMARTOMA OF THE DUODENAL WALL

A rare case of myoepithelial hamartoma of the duodenal wall is present ed, and previous case reports found in the literature are reviewed. My oepithelial hamartomas are thought to arise from displaced pancreatic anlage present along the gastrointestinal tract during embryogenesis, which can differentiate into various pancreatic elements; the most hig hly differentiated form is heterotopic pancreas. An alternative theory is pancreatic metaplasia of endodermal tissues. We describe a 41-year -old man who presented with abdominal pain and vomiting. CT scanning r evealed a mass at the head of the pancreas. A pancreaticoduodenectomy was performed for presumed cystadenoma. Histology of the mass revealed a disorderly arrangement of smooth muscle, dilated and nondilated duc ts, pancreatic acinar tissue and mucus glands. The relationship of myo epithelial hamartomas involving the small bowel to similar lesions in the stomach, bile ducts and gallbladder is discussed.