BACKGROUND: To present the results of the surgical treatment in patient bearers of hepatic hemangioma. METHODS: We studied 20 patients with liver cavernous hemangioma, operated between February 1991 and February 2005. The patients ages ranged from 16 to 72 years (average of 42 years) with a predominance of female (80%), with 85% of them were symptomatic. All patients were undergoing abdominal ultrasonography (U.S.) and computed tomography contrasting (CT). It was used abdominal incision bilateral subcostal associated with the median incision. RESULTS: During follow-up neither symptom recurrences occurred nor hepatic hemangiomas were detected. Post-operative morbidity included wound infection in one patient (5%), mild hepatic insufficiency in 40% and moderate hepatic insufficiency in 15% of patients. All recovered well and completely. Biliary leakage was diagnosed in one patient (5%) and external drainage was required. No mortality occurred in this series. Normal patient activities returned after the third post-operative month. CONCLUSION: Surgical treatment of hepatic hemangiomas can be safely performed, with the choice of liver resection depending on lesion location and tumor size.
Hemangioma; Hepatic; Hepatectomy
