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CC BY 4.0 · European J Pediatr Surg Rep. 2026; 14(01): e9-e16
DOI: 10.1055/a-2790-2093
Case Report

Fibrous Hamartoma of Infancy of the Arm Mimicking a Vascular Malformation: A Diagnostic Pitfall

Authors

  • Layth J. M. Saada 

    1   Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Al-Quds University, Abu Dis, Jerusalem, State of Palestine
    2   General Surgery Department, Al-Mezan Speciality Hospital, Hebron, West Bank, State of Palestine

  • Malak Ismael Marei

    1   Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Al-Quds University, Abu Dis, Jerusalem, State of Palestine

  • Izzeddin A. Bakri

    3   Pathology Department, Makassed lslamic Chritable Hospital, Makassed Hospital, Jerusalem, Jerusalem District, State of Palestine

  • Jamil Saada

    4   Pediatric Surgery Department, Al-Mezan Speciality Hospital, Hebron, West Bank, State of Palestine
    5   Department of Pediatric Surgery, Al-Quds University, Abu Dis, Jerusalem, State of Palestine
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Abstract

Background

Fibrous hamartoma of infancy (FHI) is a rare benign soft tissue tumor of early childhood, often misdiagnosed due to its clinical and/or radiological resemblance to vascular malformations or pediatric soft tissue neoplasms.

Case Presentation

A 7-month-old male presented with a rapidly enlarging, firm, non-pulsatile subcutaneous mass involving the anterior aspect of almost the entire right arm. MRI suggested a low-flow vascular malformation; however, due to clinical concern for alternative pathology and the lesion's benign appearance, large size, superficial location, and resectability, complete excision was performed. Histopathology revealed the characteristic triphasic pattern confirming fibrous hamartoma of infancy. The patient recovered well with no recurrence at 3-month follow-up.

Conclusion

This case highlights the diagnostic pitfalls of FHI, which may closely mimic vascular anomalies on imaging, and underscores the importance of surgical excision for both definitive diagnosis and curative treatment. To our knowledge, this represents the first reported case of FHI from Palestine.

Keywords

fibrous hamartoma of infancy - pediatric soft tissue tumor - triphasic histology - subcutaneous arm mass - pediatric surgery

Contributors' Statement

L.J.M.S.: supervision, writing—original draft, writing—review and editing; M.I.M.: writing—original draft; I.A.B.: writing—review and editing; J.S.: supervision, writing—review and editing.




Publication History

Received: 06 October 2025

Accepted: 15 January 2026

Article published online:
31 January 2026

© 2026. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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