Liver Hemangioma in Adults

Due to certain unknown or non-specific causes, there occurs a development of a mass in the liver. This mass is noncancerous and is a made up of a tangle of poorly-formed blood vessels. This very mass is what is known as liver hemangioma. Other names for this benign mass are 'hepatic hemangioma' or 'cavernous hemangioma'. Fortunately, there have been no cases about any evidence which can show that this condition of the liver may lead to liver cancer.

Symptoms

Due to the presence of the mass in the liver, the affected person often has a feeling of fullness even after eating a small amount of food, which normally, would not satiate a healthy person. Pain due to this medical condition is another symptom which seems to arise in the upper right abdomen. Due to the fullness, the affected person would lack appetite and may also experience nausea or vomiting. Such symptoms, when appear persistent, must be reported to the doctor.

Causes

No specific causes of liver hemangioma have been identified yet. Most experts are with the opinion that a person may have it from birth. Usually, most liver hemangioma are about 5 cm wide in size, and occur as a single mass. However, they can be larger than this and may also occur in multiples.

As mentioned above, most cases do not show any kind of symptoms because the mass stops growing in size. However, people who are not affected by these symptoms, may have a growing liver hemangioma, which may cause complications and would require treatment. And the causes of all these occurrences have not been brought under the light of certainty.

Treatment

In cases wherein the mass remains small and never grows thus, not giving rise to any kind of signs and symptoms, the affected people do not require medical attention. However, going for regular follow ups help avoid one's mental stress as it helps in ruling out the possibility of any growth in the mass.

This medical condition requires treatment when it exhibits symptoms as described above. The symptoms may be a clear indication of the growth of the mass, which may progress so much that it may push adjacent structures in the abdomen, thereby causing discomfort. The treatment would depend upon the nature of the ailment which include the size of the mass, its location, number, and overall health of the affected person.

The options which form of a part of the treatment procedure include surgery to get rid of the liver hemangioma itself or to remove a section of the liver along with the mass. Surgeons may also choose not to remove the liver hemangioma or a part of the liver. This may be done by taking up certain procedures which may help to cut down the blood supply through the main artery to the mass. Without blood, the mass may stop growing or shrink thus, relieving the symptoms.

Another procedure which is the liver transplant surgery is for those who have a liver hemangioma so large that it cannot be treated with the aforementioned methods. However, such a situation is very rare. One more option is to make use of radiation therapy. Using this, the cells of the growing mass may be damaged, in order to stop the growth and settle the symptoms.

Disclaimer: This story is for informative purposes only, and should not be used as a replacement for expert medical advice.