As people become more health conscious, more and more people are getting into the habit of having annual medical checkups. After getting the physical examination report, many people will encounter one or more mild abnormalities, such as: internal B-ultrasound indicates “occupancy”, “stones”, etc., and “it is recommended to go to a specialist for further treatment”. Next, there will be a considerable number of people who are overly worried and restless.
In the clinic, we often meet friends who traveled thousands of miles to Beijing and got a specialist’s number from a “scalper”. In the end, the specialist replied in a few words that it was just a minor problem not to worry at all. But they spent a lot of energy and financial resources, which is really unnecessary.
This article will briefly popularize the four common benign diseases of the hepatobiliary system, if you encounter it in the future medical examination, please do not worry too much!
A. Fatty liver
Many people, including young people around 30 years old, will write “fatty liver” on the B-ultrasound report. Fatty liver used to be far away from the people of China, but with economic development, this “disease of affluence” has come along.
In layman’s terms, fatty liver is the deposition of fat in the liver cells, causing the liver to look less rosy and delicate, and more greasy and tough.
I. There are two most common types of fatty liver.
1, mostly seen in fat people, because the fatty liver caused by high blood sugar and lipids;
2, people are not obese, but socialize a lot, often drink alcohol, alcohol promotes fat deposition in liver cells, the professional term is called “alcoholic fatty liver”.
In addition, the side effects of drugs, hepatitis or malnutrition can also lead to fatty liver.
Due to the increasing popularity of this disease, many unscrupulous pharmaceutical companies have taken up the idea of it, selling this tea and that medicine on TV and online, claiming to treat fatty liver, and patients often spend a lot of money, but do not see results.
In fact, the best treatment for mild simple fatty liver is to control diet, quit drinking and exercise.
Second, liver cysts
A liver cyst, in layman’s terms, is a round-like cavity in the liver that contains fluid. Depending on the number, they can be classified as single or multiple. Liver cysts are a benign liver disease.
Usually liver cysts found do not need to be treated, and only if they are particularly large to the point of pressing on adjacent organs (e.g., pressing on the stomach, causing discomfort such as significant fullness after meals). And even if it is treated, it can usually be done through minimally invasive surgery, so there is nothing to worry too much about.
There is only one rare case – polycystic liver, and it is important to go to a specialist for further consultation in this case.
Hepatic hemangioma
Hemangioma is a congenital developmental malformation of blood vessels that can occur in many places throughout the body, and if it occurs in the liver, it is called hepatic hemangioma.
Hemangioma is also a benign disease. The previous medical opinion was that rupture of hemangioma would lead to uncontrollable hemorrhage, so once detected, it should be surgically removed. However, in the past decade, a uniform understanding has emerged both domestically and internationally that hepatic hemangioma is a very tough tumor and has not been reported to rupture spontaneously unless directly punctured by trauma. Therefore, the indications for intervention have changed, and asymptomatic hemangiomas can be observed by regular review ultrasound.
However, hepatic hemangiomas do grow, and some of them may compress the adjacent organs, so that surgical removal should be considered. And if the hemangioma is very large, it is recommended to go to the hepatobiliary center of a large hospital for surgery.
Polypoid lesions of the gallbladder
Polypoid lesions in the B ultrasound report are mostly caused by three reasons: gallbladder polyps, cholesterol crystals and gallstones attached to the gallbladder wall. Surgery is usually recommended for a single polypoid lesion larger than 1 cm, for those with symptoms of gallstones and cholecystitis, or for those who are burdened by gallbladder polyps that affect their normal work and life. Otherwise, surgery should not be performed immediately, but the ultrasound should be reviewed every 3-6 months.
Patients usually have the question: Can the gallbladder be preserved by removing gallbladder polyps? It is up to the gallbladder to decide whether to keep it or not. If the gallbladder has atrophied, is functioning poorly or is suspected to be cancerous, then don’t keep it.
In fact, the majority of people who have their gallbladder removed do not have any problems with their normal life. Trust your physician, who will weigh whether or not to remove the gallbladder.
Summary
The above four common abnormalities of the hepatobiliary system can only be scientifically recognized so that they can be scientifically confronted, reducing unnecessary tension and undeserved waste. However, after all, they are abnormalities and cannot be completely ignored, so in the end, it is still the same saying, “regular observation and outpatient follow-up”.