[Inflammatory pseudo-tumor of the liver in a child: case report]

Inflammatory pseudotumor of the liver is uncommon in children. Only 14 cases have been reported in the literature. The underlying etiology is unclear but traumatic and infectious factors may be implicated. This report describes an inflammatory pseudotumor that was observed in a 9-year-old child from the Ivory Coast one year after traumatic injury of the right hypochondrium. Clinical findings were limited to non-febrile but painful hepatomegaly with weight loss. Laboratory tests were consistent with an inflammatory process. Ultrasonography revealed a poorly delimited, heterogeneous area approximately 5 cm in diameter at the level of the VI segment which had been resected. Histology documented the presence of fibro-inflammatory tissue with granulomatous inclusions. At the center of the lesion was a foreign body corresponding to a Schistosoma mansoni egg. In this case the mechanism underlying inflammatory pseudotumor could have involved either bilharziasis or trauma. A review of the literature allows the authors to enumerate the main features of this uncommon benign tumor of the liver in children.