What should I do if I feel abdominal distension due to a liver cyst?

Written by Liu Wu Cai
Hepatobiliary Surgery
Updated on September 01, 2024
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For patients with liver cysts, if abdominal distension occurs, it is important to promptly recheck with an ultrasound, which can better observe the size of the liver cysts. For larger liver cysts, which might cause abdominal distension and potentially liver function abnormalities, surgical removal is necessary to achieve therapeutic effects. Generally, liver cysts that are small in size do not cause noticeable discomfort and are mostly discovered during ultrasound examinations, requiring no special treatment other than regular ultrasound monitoring. For patients with larger liver cysts, it is crucial to pay close attention and perform surgical removal as early as possible to improve the prognosis.

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Written by Liu Wu Cai
Hepatobiliary Surgery
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Can liver cysts heal on their own?

Generally speaking, liver cysts cannot heal themselves, as regardless of their size, liver cysts are mostly caused by congenital factors. Therefore, although they do not require special treatment, the body cannot cure them either. When liver cysts are present, first of all, the decision should be based on the cause and size of the cysts. For patients with small liver cysts, there are generally no obvious symptoms and no special treatment is needed. Regular follow-up with ultrasound should be done to monitor any changes in size. For patients with larger liver cysts, local compression symptoms may occur, and if liver function abnormalities appear, surgical removal is necessary to achieve treatment benefits and prevent worsening of the condition.

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Written by Liu Wu Cai
Hepatobiliary Surgery
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Can a liver cyst turn into cancer?

Liver cysts may potentially become malignant. Although liver cysts are mostly caused by congenital genetic factors and generally do not show obvious symptoms—often only discovered during ultrasonographic examinations—they do not usually require special treatment. However, it is possible for liver cysts to turn cancerous, thus they should be taken seriously. Regular follow-up ultrasound examinations are necessary to monitor changes in size. If a cyst shows a significant increase in size over a short period, it is crucial to pay attention and to consider surgical removal as early as possible to achieve better treatment outcomes. Additionally, attention should also be given to patients with large liver cysts; early surgical intervention might be necessary, as a larger size may cause pain in the liver area and lead to liver function abnormalities, among other issues. Therefore, these symptoms should be taken seriously.

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Written by Liu Wu Cai
Hepatobiliary Surgery
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Liver cysts causing nausea, what's going on?

Generally speaking, patients with liver cysts do not experience nausea. If nausea occurs, it is necessary to complete abdominal CT scans, color Doppler ultrasounds, and other related examinations to clarify the cause. If necessary, a gastroscopy should also be performed. Simply put, liver cysts do not typically cause nausea. However, if liver cysts are complicated by a liver abscess, an acute purulent infection might occur, in which case the patient may experience symptoms related to digestion such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal distension, and diarrhea. Additionally, when biliary system diseases are complicated by a liver abscess, nausea and vomiting might also occur. Therefore, when nausea and vomiting occur in the presence of liver cysts, it is crucial first to perform the relevant examinations to determine the exact cause and then treat according to the identified cause.

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Written by Liu Wu Cai
Hepatobiliary Surgery
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Liver cysts and spleen enlargement, what's going on?

Liver cysts and an enlarged spleen are terms used in imaging studies. For liver cysts, they are common benign tumors and usually, the patient does not experience any significant discomfort. Thus, no special treatment is required; regular follow-up with ultrasound to monitor changes in size is sufficient. However, if a liver cyst grows large, it can cause pain in the liver area. If liver function becomes abnormal, surgical removal may be considered. As for an enlarged spleen, it is caused by various conditions that lead to an increase in spleen size, such as in cases of portal hypertension, which often results in splenomegaly and hyperfunctioning spleen. Blood disorders may also cause the spleen to enlarge. Therefore, the treatment varies depending on the underlying cause.

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Written by Si Li Li
Gastroenterology
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What is the best treatment for liver cysts?

Liver cysts that are generally smaller than six centimeters do not require treatment, and surgical treatment of liver cysts is necessary for cysts larger than six centimeters. The most common surgical method for treating liver cysts is fenestration of the cyst, which involves removing part of the cyst wall. The cyst fluid can then be directly drained into the abdominal cavity through the opening, and as the surgery concludes, the remaining cyst wall adheres and causes the cyst to be completely absorbed. Another method is percutaneous drainage of the liver cyst, but this method may easily recur; thus, the best current treatment method is still fenestration surgery. Additionally, patients with liver cysts must abstain from alcohol and should not drink alcohol.