[Surgical treatment of congenital cysts of the liver].

We report 9 patients who were surgically treated for symptomatic congenital liver cysts. Median age at presentation was 51 years and all the cases were females. Symptoms and clinical findings included a painful mass in the upper right quadrant of the abdomen. Ultrasonography was used most frequently and was an accurate technique for diagnosing these lesions. The cysts were often located in the right hepatic lobe. Surgical technique included total excision (n = 6) and partial excision via fenestration (n = 3). Based in our limited experience we believe that fenestration constitutes the least aggressive approach with a high rate of symptom relief and should be considered as an alternative in the treatment of these lesions.