Treatment of hepatic hemangioma

  Hepatic hemangioma is a common benign tumor of the liver, including 4 types of cavernous hemangioma, sclerosing hemangioma, vascular endothelial cell tumor and capillary hemangioma, of which cavernous hemangioma of the liver is predominant. The area bordering the normal liver tissue is not regular, the hepatocyte cords in the peri-tumor liver tissue are atrophied or disappeared, the blood sinusoids are obviously dilated and stagnant, and some abnormal distribution of luminal large-walled vessels can be seen.  Etiology: The etiology is unknown, and there is a relationship with oral contraceptives, so female patients are relatively common. Clinical manifestations: Hepatic hemangiomas are usually asymptomatic and are mostly detected during routine physical examinations or in hospitals due to other physical discomforts. Some patients with larger tumors may have vague pain and discomfort in the liver area.  Diagnostic methods: CT enhanced scan, ultrasound, MRI, etc. can confirm the diagnosis of tumor with diameter of 5CM or more.  Note: For patients with chronic underlying liver disease such as chronic viral hepatitis B or C, it is important to pay attention to the so-called small “hepatic hemangiomas” with a diameter of less than 3 cm, because it is difficult to distinguish small diameter hepatic hemangiomas from primary liver cancer. Hemangiomas larger than 5 cm in diameter are less likely to be misdiagnosed because of the strong characteristics of their imaging manifestations.  Treatment: 1.Small hepatic hemangioma (less than 5cm in diameter) usually does not need treatment, and lifelong follow-up is sufficient, generally, ultrasound examination is required once every six months to a year.  2.Larger hepatic hemangioma treatment: hepatic hemangioma between 5-10cm varies according to the location and the psychological burden of the patient.  3. Huge hepatic hemangioma usually needs surgical treatment (diameter greater than 10cm).  4.If the tumor is found to increase rapidly during the follow-up, it also needs to be treated, for example, the tumor volume increases by more than 50% within 1 year.  5. Treatment of small hepatic hemangiomas in patients with underlying liver disease: If a patient has the underlying liver disease mentioned in the article and is clinically diagnosed with a small hepatic hemangioma, care should be taken to check AFP, CEA and other oncological indicators. If elevations are found, treatment of the lesion is recommended. The follow-up period for such patients is recommended to be every 3 months, and if abnormalities are found during the follow-up process, timely treatment is recommended. The author has treated one such patient, who was found to be enlarged at 3 years of follow-up, and the tumor diameter increased from 2cm to 4cm, and was treated surgically.  6. Hepatic hemangioma is not effective for interventional treatment because of rich blood supply!  Surgical treatment: There are minimally invasive treatment and traditional open surgical treatment. Minimally invasive treatment mostly adopts microwave curing or radiofrequency treatment under laparoscopy, but the disadvantage is that due to the limitation of surgical instruments, not all patients are suitable for such minimally invasive surgery.  For female patients, discontinuation of birth control pills is a definite and effective method, and some patients have shrunk their tumors after discontinuation of birth control pills. There is no such thing as drug prevention or treatment.