[Cavernous hemangioma of the liver].

Over the last six years 8 patients with cavernous haemangioma of the liver were operated in our institute, of whom 7 women and 1 man, aged from 32 to 77 years average, 19.6 years. In two patients double haemangiomas of the liver were removed. So the number of resected haemangiomas was 10. The size of these haemangiomas was 2, 2, 3, 3.5, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6.5 and 16 cm respectively, average 5.7 cm. Diagnosis was established by ultrasonography, computed tomography, blood pool 99m-technetium-scintigraphy, laparoscopy and selective angiography. Indications for the operation were: palpable tumour and pain in 2 patients; suspected liver metastases secondary to colon cancer 7 years after right colectomy; suspicion to primary haematoma of the liver and suspicion to secondary liver tumour in a patient with a big tumour of the left ovary. Incidental ultrasonic finding of the liver tumour occurred in a patient with obstructive jaundice. In a female with Bartter's syndrome ultrasonography and explorative surgery were carried out in order to reveal endocrine tumour (reninoma), as well as an occasional finding during cholecystectomy. Various operative techniques were performed in these 5 patients: 3 left lobectomies, 1 segmentectomy of the V and the VI liver segments, and 3 atypical resections. The only postoperative complication in our series was a mild superficial variceal thrombophlebitis of the leg in one female patient which disappeared on conservative treatment. These 5 patients have been followed-up from 1 to 48 months (average 18 months), and were symptom-free, except the patient with Bartter's syndrome who stayed on treatment.