[Differential diagnosis of benign intrahepatic space-occupying lesions]

Differential diagnosis of benign intrahepatic tumours can be very difficult despite numerous non-invasive diagnostic approaches, as is evident from two case reports presented here. The problem appears particularly intricate if two or more masses or space-occupying growths are present at the same time, the diagnostic aspects being different. In the first case, echinococcus alveolaris occurred simultaneously with a cavernous haemangioma and a focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH). In the second case, FNH as a pendulating tumour was combined with a second focus in the superior part of the liver. These two examples are used as basis for discussing various diagnostic approaches, such as sonography, computed tomography and scintiscanning.