An autopsy case of primary hemangioendothelioma of the liver

Abstract

A case of primary hemangioendothelioma of the liver with histopathological features characteristic of an infantile hemangioendothelioma of the liver, in a 24-year-old male, was reported. The patient was found to have marked hepatomegaly and ascites over a prolonged period of time and succumbed with hematemesis and melena about 2 years after the onset of his illness or about 16 months after the development of ascites. Multiple tumor nodules of 0.5 to 1.5cm in diameter, reddish-purple in the center and greyish-white at the periphery, were found throughout the liver with pronounced cicatrization on limited area of the left lobe at autopsy. Hemangioendotheliomas of the liver in infants are congenital, and many of the patients develop symptoms ranging from 36 hours to 4-1/2 years of age. Although these tumors are histologically benign, most patients die within 6 months following the onset of their illness because of a rapid growth of the neoplasm. The findings noted in the case described herein would suggest that, in rare instances, hemangioendotheliomas of the liver in infants may grow very slowly or remain latent over a prolonged period of time.