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Updated: Jan 1, 2026

Laparoscopic Left Hemihepatectomy Combined with Caudate Lobe Resection
Published on: April 11, 2025
Incidental finding of a supradiaphragmatic caudate lobe on cross-sectional imaging: An exceedingly rare entity
S Nicolas Paez1, Khoschy Schawkat2, Alejandro Garces-Descovich3
1Division of Abdominal Imaging, Department of Radiology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, 330 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA, 02215, USA..
Abstract:
Intrathoracic accessory lobes of the liver are exceedingly rare and usually found incidentally in asymptomatic patients. Its diagnosis poses a real challenge for radiologists due to its rarity, location and rounded solid mass appearance. Herein, we describe the case of a supradiaphragmatic caudate lobe of the liver in a 43-year-old African American woman presenting to the hospital for evaluation of an inferior vena cava (IVC) thrombus with CT. Final diagnosis was achieved by MRI using intravenous contrast material, showing a 4.7 cm by 2.7 cm oval shaped mass, with similar signal intensity to the main liver on all sequences. Appropriate diagnosis of this intrathoracic mass is important to negate the need for unnecessary procedures and set a proper follow up after clinical diagnosis.

