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Related Programs & Sites
General SurgeryLiverSourceSurgical Oncology ProgramTransplant Surgery
Related Procedures
Liver ResectionLiver Transplantation
Related Physicians
Section FacultyHobart W. Harris, M.D.,M.P.H.Kimberly Kirkwood, M.D.Carlos U. Corvera, M.D.
Liver cysts are thin-walled sacs filled with air, fluids, orsemi-solid material. Liver cysts occur in approximately 5%of people. The majority of cysts are benign, but all cancers areable to produce malignant cysts. Patients typically present with asingle liver cyst, although multiple cysts sometimes develop.Liver cysts rarely impair the liver's ability to function.
Most liver cysts do not cause symptoms. If they do occur,symptoms include:
Upper abdominal fullness, discomfort, or pain.Sudden and severe right upper quadrant and shoulder paincaused by bleeding into the cyst, but this occurs In only ina small group of patients,
Diagnosis & TreatmentCysts are diagnosed using ultrasound or with a CT scan. Onlypatients with symptoms require treatment, which consists ofsurgically removing a large portion of the cyst wall. Onlyremoving the fluid from the cyst is ineffective because it will fillup again within days.
The procedure is performed laparoscopically, requiring only 2-3small incisions with little chance of recurrence.
Polycystic Liver Disease (PLD)
Polycystic liver (PLD) disease is rare, affecting 6 out of 1,000 people. Liver cysts present as smallor large grape-like clusters or a mixture of both. PLD is congenital and very often develops alongwith autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (AD-PKD). It has been estimated that at least90 of patients with AD-PKD have liver cysts.
TreatmentUnlike the kidney failure that inevitably results from polycystic kidney disease, PLD does not lead toliver failure and, in fact, most patients do not require surgery. However, if the liver becomemassively enlarged due the cysts so that it presses against nearby organs, surgery is thenrequired to open or remove the cysts. In extreme cases of PLD where there is liver failure, livertransplantation is required.
Cystic Tumors
Cystic tumors are abnormal masses that have the potential to become malignant. Benign cystictumors are called cystadenomas; their malignant counterparts are called cystadenocarcinomas.
Symptoms of cystic tumors include abdominal fullness and pain. Ultrasound and CT scans are usedto diagnose cystic tumors, which have both liquid and solid components. Because of their malignantpotential, all.cystic tumors should be surgically removed.
Liver Cysts
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