Do cysts on the liver need to be treated?

Cysts on the liver are mostly congenital cysts and may be left untreated if they do not cause abdominal pain, abdominal distension or impairment of liver function, and are followed up periodically as prescribed by the doctor to observe whether the cysts are progressively increasing in size or causing discomfort. Surgery is often considered when the diameter of the cyst exceeds 5-10 cm, when there are multiple cysts, or when it causes discomfort, hidden pain or even palpable masses in the right upper abdomen. Laparoscopic open-heart surgery is generally used as the treatment option of choice for congenital hepatic cysts, reducing the pain of traditional open-heart surgery and allowing patients to get out of bed in an average of 2-3 days with a short recovery time. However, if the cyst is combined with infection, bleeding, biliary fistula, or malignancy that cannot be treated laparoscopically, open surgery or other forms of treatment need to be chosen at the doctor’s discretion. Acquired suprahepatic cysts may be encapsulated liver cysts, i.e. hepatic encapsulated worm disease, which is a zoonotic parasitic disease caused by infection with Echinococcus larvae. It can be asymptomatic in the early stage, and with the development of abscess can cause symptoms such as loss of appetite, vague pain in the liver, wasting, anemia, and right upper abdominal mass. Because echinococcosis parasites can cause severe damage to liver tissue or other tissues, the mortality rate is extremely high if not treated aggressively. Patients can undergo endocyst removal after ultrasound and CT examinations to confirm the diagnosis, supplemented by inversion suturing, additional drainage tubes, and cystic large omental tamponade to enhance the therapeutic effect, and oral albendazole and mebendazole can be used to de-worm under the guidance of doctors.