Hepatic Cyst: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment and Overview

They are hepatic lesions that occur in the form of bags full of fluids and are usually rare and benign conditions.

In general, they do not require treatment, especially if they do not present symptoms or do not affect liver function.

Causes of the hepatic cyst

Hepatic cysts are associated with malformations of the bile ducts, but the exact cause of this malformation is unknown.

Bile is a fluid that intervenes in the digestive process and is mobilized through ducts, from the liver to the gallbladder .

Some people develop cysts with age, and others develop liver cysts from birth.

As they are asymptomatic, the hepatic cysts are not diagnosed until the presentation of some symptomatology.

Hepatic cysts have a link with a parasitic organism called Echinococcus granulosus, present in areas dedicated to cattle and sheep.

The eggs of the larvae are contained in contaminated food, once ingested, they infiltrate the intestine and enquistan in the wall of the intestine.

The cysts resulting from contamination of the liver with Echinococcus are called hydatid cysts .

A kidney failure, a malfunction of the spleen of the gallbladder, can cause the appearance of a liver cyst. Since the accumulation of toxins, can alter liver function.

The current theory regarding the formation of hepatic cysts maintains that these originate from a proliferation of differentiated cells of the liver, which grow and are arranged in a disorganized manner (hamartomatous tissue).

When the histopathological analysis is performed, the differential characteristics of the hepatic cysts are the content of a serous fluid and the lining of a wall that can hardly be perceived.

symptom

Hepatic cysts are usually asymptomatic, manifest incidentally.

Small hepatic cysts may not be diagnosed for years, because they do not show signs of alarm, when it increases in size, the patient may experience pain and other discomfort.

If bleeding occurs in the hepatic cyst, a sudden, sharp pain appears in the upper part of the stomach. The bleeding may go away on its own and the symptoms disappear in a short time.

These symptoms may include swelling in the abdomen or the presence of pain in the upper right area of ​​the stomach.

Hepatic cysts develop anywhere in the liver, but more usually in the right lobe of the liver.

If a significant growth is experienced in the cyst, it is possible to feel it through a physical examination, from the outside of the stomach.

Diagnosis of the hepatic cyst

When there is the appearance of a pain or enlargement of the abdomen, a physical examination is performed to diagnose the disease.

But there are some diseases that may be associated with liver cysts:

  • Polycystic liver diseases.
  • Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ERPAD).
  • Von Hippel Lindau disease.

Through ultrasound, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, differential analysis is possible.

When the hepatic cysts appear, the images usually present findings as round or ovoid structures and with defined margins, the presence of better acoustics according to the size of the cyst and the absence of internal vascularization.

As well as a homogenous hypo attenuation (by the present liquid), among other characteristics.

A blood test should also be performed to rule out the presence of parasites.

Treatment

In case of not presenting symptoms, one chooses not to administer any treatment and wait for the appearance of symptoms.

If an extraction of the fluid present in the cyst is required, the treatment option consists of performing a needle puncture in the abdomen and surgically removing fluid that is inside the cyst. This procedure is temporary.

In case of re-filling with fluid, the best option is to surgically remove the complete cyst. The surgery can be made less invasive with the use of a laparoscopy , which only requires small incisions in the abdomen.

One of the most important things is to identify if it is a hepatic cyst of few or large dimensions, if it is asymptomatic, or symptomatic, of progressive or bleeding growth.

In order to define the appropriate treatment and reaffirm whether surgical resection is the treatment of choice.

Panorama

When a diagnosis of hepatic cyst develops, even when they cause pain or have an increase in size, the prognosis is almost always positive.

They are rarely cause for concern as they do not affect liver failure or liver cancer.