Myoepithelial hamartoma of the small bowel: report of a case

Benign small bowel tumors seldom cause symptoms, due to the fluid content and distensibility of the small bowel. We herein present the case of a solitary ileal hamartoma causing melena and abdominal pain in a 24-year-old man. The diagnosis of a submucosal ileal tumor was made after performing small bowel barium studies. Surgical treatment was undertaken, and a histological examination of the excised lesion, which showed a partially ulcerated tumor surface and extended from the submucosa to the subserosa, revealed numerous cystic glands of various sizes together with bundles of proliferating smooth muscle cells. Histochemical and immunohistochemical investigations were performed for differential diagnosis, and the tumor features were consistent with a diagnosis of ileal myoepithelial hamartoma. In the literature, small intestinal myoepithelial hamartomas are quite rare and this is the first report of a myoepithelial hamartoma causing melena.