Pulmonary Hamartoma – Popcorn Calcification

History: 50 year old male with shortness of breath. 

Single frontal chest radiograph shows a solitary nodule in the left mid lung containing coarse “popcorn” calcifications.

This pattern of calcification is commonly referred to as “popcorn” calcification, and is typically seen with hamartomas of the lung. Hamartomas are the most common benign neoplasm in the lung, and comprise about 8% of all lung neoplasms. They are typically calcified, well circumscribed, and less than 4 cm. On CT, most hamartomas contain fat density.