Contents:
- Medical Video: Treating Benign and Malignant Liver Tumors | FAQs with Dr. Richard Burkhart
- Causes and risk factors for liver hemangioma
- What are the symptoms of liver hemangioma?
- How are liver hemangiomas diagnosed?
- What are the treatment options for liver hemangiomas?
- What are the complications of a liver hemangioma?
Medical Video: Treating Benign and Malignant Liver Tumors | FAQs with Dr. Richard Burkhart
Hemangioma is a type of birthmark that consists of many small blood vessels and makes the skin look reddish or purplish. Liver hemangioma is basically a hemangioma found in the liver. Liver hemangiomas usually do not interfere and cause no symptoms.
Because the signs of a liver hemangioma can not be detected, this condition can usually be found if you are tested for an unrelated condition.
Liver hemangiomas are not cancerous and will not cause cancer to develop. Growth usually measures around 4 cm. In some cases, it can also grow bigger. Pregnant women or those who use estrogen substitutes, for example, have a higher risk of developing larger hemangiomas. This is because estrogen is believed to increase liver hemangioma growth. Enlargement of hemangiomas can cause symptoms.
Generally, you will only have one liver hemangioma. However, there are cases where some have been found in one heart.
Causes and risk factors for liver hemangioma
Experts are not sure why blood vessels cluster together and form liver hemangiomas. However, they agree that liver hemangiomas tend to be congenital, which means they are passed down through the family.
Most liver hemangiomas are diagnosed in patients between the ages of 30 and 50 years.
Women are more likely to develop liver hemangiomas than men. Women who take hormone therapy to increase their estrogen levels are at high risk of developing liver hemangiomas.
Liver hemangiomas can develop in infants. This condition is called benign infantile hemangioendothelioma or multinodular liver hemangiomatosis. This is a rare non-cancerous tumor that causes many cases of heart failure and death in infants. Babies are usually diagnosed at the age of 6 months.
What are the symptoms of liver hemangioma?
In many cases, liver hemangiomas do not cause symptoms. However, if triggered by a wound or because of changes in estrogen levels, symptoms can occur.
Symptoms of liver hemangioma include:
- Pain on the right side of the abdomen
- Feel full after eating small portions of food
- Nausea
- Gag
- Lack of appetite
Liver hemangioma may cause weight loss caused by loss of appetite. If you experience symptoms of liver hemangioma, you should contact your doctor immediately.
In infants with liver hemangiomas, symptoms include:
- Abdominal enlargement
- Anemia
- Sign of heart failure
In some cases, liver hemangiomas can cause bleeding or interfere with organ function. In rare cases, they may rupture.
How are liver hemangiomas diagnosed?
In those who do not show symptoms, liver hemangiomas are often overlooked until accidentally discovered during tests for other problems.
Liver hemangiomas are usually found using imaging tests - such as ultrasound, CT scan, MRI scan, or single photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) scan. This imaging test allows your doctor to see the intricate details of your heart and the surrounding structures. Blood tests may also be used. If your doctor looks for other liver problems, they may find a hemangioma.
What are the treatment options for liver hemangiomas?
Most liver hemangiomas do not require treatment. However, if the hemangioma is large or causes symptoms, it can be removed through surgery. If the hemangioma causes significant pain or damage to the liver, the doctor may decide to remove the entire damaged part.
Hemangiomas can grow if there is a significant amount of blood flowing in them. In this case, the doctor may block the blood flow to the hemangioma. They can break the bonds of the main arteries that supply hemangiomas with blood. Around the part of the liver will still receive blood from other arteries and stay healthy. This surgical procedure is called arterial ligation.
Alternatively, the drug can be injected into the liver hemangioma to block the blood supply. This is called arterial embolization.
In rare cases, extreme liver transplant surgery may be needed. This only occurs in cases of extreme liver hemangiomas, or multiple liver hemangiomas that do not respond to other treatments.
In very extreme cases, radiation treatment may be required to shrink the masses.
What are the complications of a liver hemangioma?
Liver hemangiomas rarely cause complications. Complications that can increase in rare cases are:
- Enlargement of hemangioma
- Liver damage
- Pain
If you are pregnant, are on hormone therapy, or have liver disease, talk to your doctor to reduce the risk of developing complications.
Most cases of liver hemangioma do not cause health risks in the future. In rare cases, liver transplantation may be needed. People who do liver transplants may need to use drugs throughout their lives to protect your body from rejecting liver transplants. Your doctor will monitor the hemangioma to prevent this risk.
