Imaging insights into pediatric liver masses: A comprehensive minireview for hepatology practice

Pediatric liver masses encompass a diverse spectrum of benign and malignant lesions, with distinct patterns based on patient age. Optimal imaging is critical for timely diagnosis, management, and prognosis. This pictorial minireview categorizes pediatric liver masses by age group to guide hepatology and radiology practice, with an emphasis on imaging characteristics. In children from birth to six years of age, the most common liver masses include hepatoblastoma, the most common primary hepatic malignancy in this age group; infantile hemangioma, a benign vascular tumor with a characteristic appearance on imaging; and mesenchymal hamartoma, a rare developmental lesion. For children older than six years, liver masses are distinct, with hepatocellular carcinoma being the predominant malignant lesion. Benign masses such as focal nodular hyperplasia and hepatocellular adenoma also emerge in this age range, often linked to hormonal influences or metabolic disorders. The masses observed across all pediatric age groups include hepatic cysts, choledochal cysts, hydatid cysts, pyogenic and amebic abscesses, tuberculosis, lymphoma, and metastases, each presenting with unique imaging features essential for differential diagnosis. This minireview provides a comprehensive, age-based overview of pediatric liver masses, focusing on clinical presentation and key imaging findings to support accurate diagnosis and optimize management strategies in clinical hepatology, particularly in low resource settings.