CYSTADENOMA OF THE LIVER TREATED BY HEPATIC RESECTION

The aim of this study is to report a case of cystadenoma in the liver and to discuss the difficulty of differential diagnosis from malignant tumor and the importance of complete resection of the lesion. The pat ient had epigastric pain and abdominal distension. Hepatic ultrasonogr aphy, abdominal CT, magnetic resonance imaging, and angiography showed the presence of a large cystic tumor occupying the right hepatic lobe indicating malignant cystadenocarcinoma. Needle biopsy of the cyst wa ll with sampling of the cyst fluid was performed, which revealed no ma lignant cells. However, CEA and CA19-9 were markedly elevated in the c yst fluid. A right trisegmentectomy via laparotomy was performed succe ssfully. The resected tumor was 11.5x9x9 cm in size and weighed 1,240 g. The cut surface revealed the tumor with multiple cysts, in some par ts of which large papillary projections into lumina were seen. Though the gross features were similar to those of cystadenocarcinoma, the fi nal histological diagnosis was benign cystadenoma of the liver. The po stoperative course was uneventful, and the patient is in good conditio n six years postoperatively without evidence of recurrence of the dise ase.