[Hepatic inflammatory pseudotumor. A report of 5 cases]

Hepatic inflammatory pseudotumor (HIP) is rare. To our knowledge, there have only been 27 cases reported since 1953. We studied additional five cases, male, aged 13-56 years, with a history of the disease of 20 days-1 year. Major complains were epigastric pain, fever of unknown causes, and epigastric mass. All five HIPs were solitary and surgically resected with a final diagnosis made pathologically. HIPs mimic the characters of liver cancer on ultrasonography and CT scanning, however, the following several points could be used to establish the diagnosis: patients with a long history of hepatic tumor still in a rather good condition; patients with no cirrhosis and negative AFP test results; tumors that are well encapsulated, etc. Surgical exploration should be attempted in all patients unless in those with poor risks in which steroid therapy may prove useful.