[Benign tumors of the liver]

Benign tumours of the liver, being rare compared to malignant forms, constitute a big diagnostic and therapeutic problem to prove their benignity and the relation between the patients' symptoms and their existence. During 1983-91, we had the chance to study ten (10) patients with benign liver tumour-six (6) women and four (4) men-with a mean age of 51 years, concerning 5 hemangiomas, one hepatic adenoma and 4 focal nodular hyperplasia. Two of the hemangiomas coexisted with metastatic liver tumours. In seven patients there was surgical confirmation of tumor existence and in the remaining two patients the diagnosis was based upon laboratory findings and imaging techniques. Four patients were asymptomatic and the tumors were identified as an incidental finding during operations concerning the liver and biliary system or under imaging techniques. The disease was confirmed by intraoperative biopsy. Surgical intervention was undertaken to one patient with hepatic adenoma appearing symptoms of acute abdomen and haemorrhagic shook and a partial hepatectomy was attempted. There was no considerations of any therapeutic intervention to the rest of the patients. The diagnostic procedures used by our team to investigate and to follow up the progress of the disease in our series were ultrasonography, CT scan, magnetic tomography and selective hepatic arteriography.