[Surgical treatment of giant hemangiomas of the liver]

Spontaneous rupture of liver hemangiomas is exceptional, they rarely increase in size. Elective surgery of liver hemangiomas is safe and effective. In our teaching hospital during a 5-year period 9 patients underwent elective surgery for giant liver hemangiomas, one more patient required urgent operation for spontaneous rupture. Indications for elective surgery were: abdominal pain in 5 patients, enlargement in 1 patient, and 3 patients were worried about the risk of rupture or having a tumor left in situ. The average age of our four male and six female patients was 44.5 years (30-58). The median largest dimension of the lesions was 8.5 cm (5.5-14); six of them located in the right, four in the left lobe. Enucleation was performed in most patients (8, mostly of them in the right lobe); anatomical resections were performed only in two cases (left lobectomy). There was no postoperative mortality, the only complication was mild pneumonia in one patient. Elective surgery is indicated only in a small number of patients with hemangiomas, it should be limited to giant, symptomatic tumors or those with a documented tendency to increase in size. The type of resection depends on the site and the size of the lesion. Enucleation can be performed rapidly and safely in most patients and as such it is preferable to anatomical resection.