Do liver hemangiomas need to be treated?

Written by Liu Wu Cai
Hepatobiliary Surgery
Updated on September 19, 2024
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Whether treatment is needed for liver hemangiomas mainly depends on the size and volume of the hemangioma and whether there are any symptoms.

For patients with liver hemangiomas, those with relatively large volumes may experience liver bleeding or even affect liver function. In such cases, surgical treatment should be performed. The surgery can be done through interventional procedures to achieve ligation, which can cure the condition.

Of course, for patients with smaller liver hemangiomas, there are generally no obvious symptoms, and most are only discovered during ultrasound examinations. There is no need to be overly worried or to undertake special treatments in such cases. Regular ultrasound check-ups to dynamically observe any changes in volume are sufficient. However, if the condition worsens, early treatment should be administered to improve the prognosis for the patient.

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Written by Liu Wu Cai
Hepatobiliary Surgery
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Is a two-centimeter liver hemangioma serious?

When the volume of a liver hemangioma is two centimeters, the condition is relatively mild and usually does not present any obvious symptoms, thus requiring no special treatment. Of course, it is advisable to avoid hard-to-digest foods and spicy foods to reduce the burden on the liver, which can help control the condition. However, for patients with larger liver hemangiomas, there is often a risk of rupture and bleeding, making the condition more severe and sometimes leading to death due to hemorrhagic shock. Therefore, for patients with larger liver hemangiomas, it is advisable to opt for surgical treatment as early as possible, as surgery is the only way to completely treat the condition.

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Written by Shen Jiang Chao
Radiology
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Difference between liver hemangioma and liver cancer in ultrasound

Liver hemangiomas display a variety of appearances on ultrasound, including hyper-echoic, hypo-echoic, and mixed echoes. Typically, hemangiomas appear on ultrasound as round or oval hyper-echoic masses, with internal echoes that may show a sieve-like change. In contrast, liver cancer primarily appears as hypo-echoic on ultrasound, and liver cancer symptoms are more varied because most liver cancers develop on the basis of cirrhosis. In addition to hypo-echoic masses, there are other manifestations, such as an incomplete liver capsule, widened liver fissures, spleen enlargement, and dilated portal veins, which are used to differentiate from hemangiomas.

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Written by Liu Wu Cai
Hepatobiliary Surgery
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Symptoms of malignant liver hemangioma

Thank you. When deterioration occurs in patients with hepatic hemangiomas, the main complication is the rupture of the vascular tumor leading to hemorrhage. This can potentially cause hemorrhagic shock and result in death. Regarding hepatic hemangiomas, they are benign tumors. When they are small in size, they typically do not cause any noticeable discomfort and do not require special treatment; regular follow-up with ultrasound examination to monitor changes in the condition is sufficient. For larger hepatic hemangiomas, there is a potential risk of rupture and bleeding. Therefore, dietary considerations for patients with hepatic hemangiomas should include avoiding spicy and irritating foods, as well as hard-to-digest foods, to reduce the burden on the liver, which is conducive to recovery of the condition.

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Written by Liu Wu Cai
Hepatobiliary Surgery
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Is a liver hemangioma serious if it is benign?

The severity of a patient with a hepatic hemangioma primarily depends on the size of the tumor. For patients with hepatic hemangiomas, if the size is relatively small, they generally do not experience significant discomfort, and most are discovered incidentally during ultrasound screenings. In such cases, no special treatment is required; just regular follow-up ultrasounds to monitor any changes in size. However, if the hepatic hemangioma is large, it often leads to rupture, bleeding, or even hemorrhagic shock, which requires attention and should be treated as early as possible. For its treatment, minimally invasive surgery, specifically interventional treatments, are the preferred options and can be very effective.

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Written by Liu Wu Cai
Hepatobiliary Surgery
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Will a liver hemangioma show blood flow signals on an ultrasound?

Patients with hepatic hemangiomas exhibit blood flow during ultrasound examinations. Hepatic hemangiomas are common benign tumors of the liver that usually don't show noticeable symptoms when they are small and don't require special treatment; routine follow-up with color Doppler ultrasound is sufficient. However, if a hepatic hemangioma is large, it could potentially rupture and bleed, making the condition severe. This could even lead to hemorrhagic shock and death. Therefore, patients with large hepatic hemangiomas should undergo surgery as soon as possible. Surgical intervention is necessary to cure the condition, with the primary method being interventional surgery, which can achieve the treatment objectives.