Introduction to “liver cyst” and “liver hemangioma

  Many patients do not understand what cysts and hemangiomas on the liver are, and some even regard them as cancer and are very worried. For this reason, we would like to introduce some knowledge in this area to help patients understand the disease correctly.  ”Liver cyst is a relatively common benign disease of the liver. Liver cysts can be divided into various types, and congenital liver cysts are the most common. So far, the causes of liver cysts are not completely clear, but it is generally believed that they are caused by abnormal development of intrahepatic bile ducts and can appear at any age, but they are more common in people aged 20-50 years old, and they are larger in women than men, and more in the right than in the left liver, with sizes ranging from 0.5cm-20cm, and they can be divided into single and multiple, and multiple liver cysts (also called polycystic liver) are more common, and according to clinical observation, 50% of patients with polycystic liver have 50% of patients with polycystic liver have polycystic kidney. Ultrasound examination is a simple and reliable method to diagnose liver cysts. Ultrasound is a simple and reliable method to diagnose “liver cyst”. The ultrasound image of a typical “liver cyst” is round or oval, with thin and smooth walls and an echogenic area inside, and the posterior echogenicity is obviously enhanced, so it is easy to recognize, but it should be distinguished from liver abscess, liver cancer and dermatomal cyst. “Hepatic cysts are not related to liver cancer and usually will not transform into liver cancer.  ”Hepatic hemangioma” is also a relatively common benign disease of the liver. The most common type of hemangioma is cavernous hemangioma, and very few are capillary hemangioma and hemangioendothelioma. They can occur at any age and are often found in adults, mostly in women. The exact cause is unknown, but it is thought to be related to congenital malformation of the peripheral blood vessels of the liver, deformation of the capillary tissue in the liver after infection, and stagnation of the veins, resulting in sponge-like dilatation of the vessels. Most hepatic hemangiomas grow slowly, or even do not grow significantly for several years, with no clinical symptoms and no tendency of malignant transformation. Ultrasound can be used to screen for hepatic hemangiomas, but the final diagnosis requires enhanced CT.  There is no specific treatment for hepatic cysts and hepatic hemangiomas. Small liver cysts and hepatic hemangiomas do not require treatment, but only regular observation and ultrasound review. For large hepatic cysts, if there are obvious symptoms, B-ultrasound-guided interventional fluid extraction or surgery can be performed; for large hepatic hemangiomas, according to recent literature, radiofrequency ablation can be preferred, which initially shows the advantages of high safety, low invasiveness and low recurrence rate. Radiotherapy and hepatic artery interventional hepatic hemangioma embolization are also one of the means of previous treatment. According to Chinese medicine, “liver cyst” and “liver hemangioma” are related to emotional disorders, liver qi stagnation, liver loss of drainage, qi blockage and blood flow disorders.