Neuromuscular and vascular hamartoma of the small intestine: is it Crohn's disease?

Abstract

Neuromuscular and vascular hamartoma has been described as a specific, if rare, stricturing condition of the small intestine. In this paper four cases with very similar macroscopic and histological features to those described as 'neuromuscular and vascular hamartoma' are presented. In three of the patients there was an earlier histologically proven diagnosis of Crohn's disease of the small intestine. We believe that 'neuromuscular and vascular hamartoma' is not a hamartomatous condition but may be seen as part of the histological spectrum of Crohn's disease, possibly in a chronic and 'burnt out' phase. Indeed the presence of these changes may provide additional evidence for the diagnosis of Crohn's disease.