Stephen W. Chung, Kristin M. DeGirolamo
ABSTRACT
Focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) is one of the three most common benign solid liver tumours along with hemangiomas and adenomas.[1] FNH is considered a vascular abnormality that usually follows an uneventful course after accidental discovery on CT or MRI for an unrelated medical problem and rarely requires any treatment.[1] These lesions are stable in nature with minimal risk of rupture and essentially no risk for malignant degeneration.[1] The general recommendations for an asymptomatic FNH are observation only, regardless of size of the mass.[1] However, the consequences of a ruptured liver mass can be very serious as abdominal bleeding may be catastrophic, so accurate diagnosis is essential.1 Here we present the only known case of a patient with multiple FNH nodules and subsequent rupture of two of the lesions; the first treated with a left hepatectomy and the second with embolization. A discussion of the management of the ruptured tumours follows and highlights how little evidence is available for the treatment of multiple ruptures of FNH or for properly risk stratifying patients.
- Choi B, Nguyen M. The diagnosis and management of benign hepatic tumors. J Clin Gastroenterol 2005 May/June;39(5):401–12.
KEYWORDS: focal nodular hyperplasia; ruptured tumor; liver resection; radiofrequency ablation
Full text (PDF, 2.30MB)
Chung SW, DeGirolamo KM. Focal Nodular Hyperplasia: A Case Report of Rare Multiple Ruptures of a Common Liver Tumour in a Single Patient. UBCMJ. 2011 3(1):40-42.