Images in Clinical Medicine
Benign Hepatic Cyst
N Engl J Med 2004; 351:2428December 2, 2004
- Article
An 88-year-old man was admitted to the hospital with a sudden onset of shortness of breath. Deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism were diagnosed. During an echocardiogram, a large cystic mass was incidentally detected in the liver. Computed tomography of the abdomen showed a well-defined mass measuring 18 cm in diameter (Panel A, arrow). The contents of the mass were homogeneous, with the attenuation of water, suggesting that it was a cyst. Cavography showed external compression of the inferior vena cava and the development of collateral channels. Percutaneous drainage of the cyst with the use of a catheter (Panel B, arrow) yielded 1500 ml of fluid that was sterile and that was negative on cytologic examination. Repeated cavography showed the disappearance of the compression and the collateral channels. The patient had a filter placed in his vena cava. He was doing well a year later.
Sandeep Garg, M.D.
Manisha Garg, M.D.
Providence Hospital and Medical Centers, Southfield, MI 48075
