Clinical and sonographic findings of hepatic masses in infancy and childhood

ABSTRACT

Thirty patients having liver lesions were studied and their symptoms and physical findings were analyzed. Ultrasonography was done to all of them and focal lesions detected and described. The diagnosis was confirmed by further investigations such as computed tomography, tumor markers and liver biopsy for needle aspiration. Sixteen cases were found to have malignant masses, four cases were hepatocellular carcinoma, five cases were hepatoblastoma and seven cases were metastatic tumors. One case was found to have benign tumor of vascular origin. Simple cysts were diagnosed in five patients and hydatid cysts in one case. Four cases of pyogenic abscesses and three cases of amebic abscesses were included. Finally, the study concluded that ultrasonography is the most readily available simple and cheap investigation and can be considered as primary investigation in every case of hepatomegaly. Ultrasonography may be the only clue to recognize certain disease conditions such as hemangioma and also early hepatocellular carcinoma. Under the guide of sonography, biopsy can be taken from a mass or aspiration from a cyst to provide conclusive pathological diagnosis