The first reported case of fibrous hamartoma of infancy in Syria: A rare case and review of literature

Introduction and importance: Fibrous hamartoma of infancy (FHI) is an anomaly in the soft tissue. It is usually benign and rare, with most cases found in children under the age of two. Case presentation: A case is reported involving an 11 -year -old boy who visited a plastic and reconstructive surgery clinic with a painless mass on his left iliac region. The mass had been there since birth and had been growing gradually in size. After obtaining informed consent, surgical exploration was conducted. Following that, the mass was completely surgically removed with appropriate dissection and layer -by -layer suturing. An excisional biopsy was sent to the pathology department for further analysis. The final diagnosis was FHI, and no signs of malignancy were found. Clinical discussion: According to our knowledge, this is the first documented case in medical literature in Syria describing the clinicopathologic features and follow-up results of an 11 -year -old boy diagnosed with FHI. Typically, the tumor is detected within the first two years of life, but in some cases, up to 23% of cases are already present at birth. It is interesting that our case was discovered at the age of 11, due to its small size when it developed after birth, and because the patient's family believed that it would heal spontaneously as it gradually increased in size, which prompted them to come to the clinic. Conclusion: Misdiagnosis may lead to unnecessary consequences, such as concerns of the patient's family, and invasive procedures. Therefore, FHI should be considered in the differential of a solitary mass in infants.