Congenital hepatic cyst: Eleven case reports

Abstract

BACKGROUND Liver cysts in infants are uncommon. With modern diagnostic imaging, we can achieve an early diagnosis of congenital hepatic cysts. Our purpose was to investigate the clinical features, surgical treatment methods and prognosis of infants with congenital hepatic cysts. Herein, we report a case series of congenital hepatic cysts. CASE SUMMARY Eleven infants with hepatic cysts were retrospectively analysed. Ten of them had simple hepatic cysts, and a girl with a large hepatic mass was diagnosed with a solitary intrahepatic biliary cyst accompanied by a choledochal cyst. Among the ten simple hepatic cysts, eight were solitary and two were multiple. A total of 87.5% (7 of 8) of infants with solitary hepatic cysts were detected before delivery, and 86% (6 of 7) of those cysts were located in the right lobe of the liver. Surgical intervention was required for symptomatic hepatic cysts. Cyst resection or unroofing with fulguration of the cyst bed was employed. No recurrence of cysts was observed in these infants. CONCLUSION Congenital hepatic cyst is a condition with a narrow differential diagnosis. Accurate diagnosis is essential for appropriate management. Unroofing is the favoured treatment in infants with symptomatic cysts. Most infants with congenital hepatic cysts have a good prognosis.

Intestinal obstruction due to giant liver cyst: A case report

“…Some authors recommend cauterizing the remaining cyst wall in the liver with argon laser or electrocautery. Complete resection or excision of the cyst is almost never necessary[ 1 ].…”

“…This approach involves removing the cystic wall to establish a contact area. Close proximity of the cyst to the liver tissue and of the cyst wall to the parenchymal and hilar structures prevent the total removal of the cyst wall[ 1 ].…”

“…The cysts are filled with clear fluid and do not contain bile, cells, or bacteria ( i.e., sterile). The color of the cyst fluid can vary from clear, light yellow to brown[ 1 ]. The thin capsule of the simple liver cyst consists of dense fibrous tissue on the outside and the inside is lined with a single layer of columnar or cuboidal epithelium.…”

Clinical characteristics of solitary intrahepatic biliary cyst

“…Since the findings on CT/MRI are very similar, biliary dilatation is often misdiagnosed as SLC (8), which has a huge impact on the choice of treatment options for this disease as well as therapeutic effect. In differentiating these two diseases, the most important is to determine whether cystic lesions communicate with the biliary system of the liver.…”