[Focal steatosis of the liver]

We present a case of focal hepatic steatosis, presenting with longstanding and poorly defined discomfort. The exploratory methods could not exclude the presence of a tumor mass in the liver; for this reason the patient was submitted to surgery, which allowed the histological diagnosis. We call attention to the existence of this lesion and the convenience of using all the available diagnostic methods to obtain the diagnosis in order to avoid the risks of an unnecessary major surgical procedure.