Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] ; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Aditya Ganti M.B.B.S. [2]
Overview
Surgery
In the majority of cases of benign hepatic tumors, patients are asymptomatic, and no treatment is indicated. The main indication for treatment is the presence of significant clinical symptoms or suspicion of malignancy or fear of malignant transformation. Surgery is the mainstay of treatment for benign liver lesions. Management of lesions also depends upon:
- Symptoms
- Size
- Number
- Location
- Certainty of the diagnosis
Surgical options
- Embolization
- ERCP
- Liver resection
- Liver transplantation
Indications for Surgery
- Bleeding tumor
- Solitary Symptomatic Tumors
|
Asymptomatic
|
Symptomatic
|
Surgical
|
Non-Surgical options
|
Indications
|
Options
|
Hepatic adenoma
|
The European Association for Study of the Liver recommends
- Discontinuation of contraceptive medication
- Close observation of the lesion with repeated imaging and alpha fetoprotein.
- Contrast-enhanced MRI at a six 6 month interval to determine if there is regression.
|
- Symptomatic patients
- Large lesions (>5 cm).
|
- Enucleation
- Resection
- Liver transplantation
|
- Transarterial embolization
- Radiofrequency ablation
|
Hepatic Hemangioma
|
- Patients with lesions <1.5 cm
- Patients with a rapid growth of a hemangioma or with lesions >5 cm
- Repeat imaging in 6 to 12 months.
|
- Symptoms suggestive of extrinsic compression of adjacent structures
|
- Liver resection
- Enucleation
- Hepatic artery ligation
- Liver transplantation
|
- Hepatic artery embolization
- Radiotherapy
- Interferon alfa-2a
|
Focal nodular hyperplasia
|
- No indication for therapy unless they are symptomatic.
- Follow-up imaging studies
- 3-6 months will often be sufficient to confirm the stability of the lesion
|
|
|
|
Simple Hepatic cyst
|
- No treatment
- Cysts >4 cms in diameter
- Periodic USG 3 months after initial diagnosis
- 6-12 months follow up
- If cyst remained stable no further treatment/followup
|
- Abdominal pain
- Growing cyst
|
- Needle aspiration with or without injection of sclerosing agents
- Internal drainage with cystojejunostomy
- Wide unroofing/cyst resection
- Liver resection
|
|
Non-Invasive Cystadenoma
|
- Surgery
- High potential of malignant transformation
|
|
- Removal of the cyst
- Partial excision
- Complete excision
- Aspiration
- Hepatic resection
- Considered whenever a cystic lesion is suspected of containing invasive carcinoma
|
|
Invasive cystadenoma
|
|
|
|
|
Hepatic abscess
|
|
- Percutaneous
- Abscess size is more than 5 cm
- Surgical drainage
- Ruptured abscess
- Hyperbilirubinemia or renal impairement
- Multiple and loculated abscesses which cannot be easily accessible by percutaneous drainage
- Inadequate drainage through percutaneous methods
- ERCP
- Bile duct stones
- Strictures
|
- Percutaneous Drainage
- Surgical Drainage
- ERCP
|
|
References