overview
- Hepatic hemangioma
- Hepatic Hemangioma Open the popup dialog
- A hepatic hemangioma (he-man-jee-O-muh) is a non-cancerous (benign) mass in the liver. A hepatic hemangioma consists of a tangle of blood vessels. Other terms for hepatic hemangioma are hepatic hemangioma and cavernous hemangioma.
Most cases of hepatic hemangiomas are discovered during a test or procedure for another condition. People with hepatic hemangioma rarely show signs and symptoms and usually don’t need treatment.
Knowing that you have a lump in your liver, even if it is a benign lump, can be confusing. There is no evidence that an untreated liver hemangioma can lead to liver cancer.
symptoms
- liver
- The Liver popup dialog opens
- In most cases, hepatic hemangioma will not cause any signs or symptoms.
If hepatic hemangioma is causing signs and symptoms, these could include:
- Pain in the upper right abdomen
- Feel full after just eating a small amount of food
- nausea
- Vomit
The reasons
The causes of the formation of a hepatic hemangioma are unclear. Doctors consider hepatic hemangiomas to be congenital, which means you were born with them.
A hepatic hemangioma usually occurs as a single abnormal set of blood vessels that are less than about 4 cm wide. Sometimes hepatic hemangiomas can be larger or multiply. Large hemangiomas can occur in young children but are very rare.
Most people never develop hepatic hemangioma and never cause signs or symptoms. However, a small number of people develop hepatic hemangioma, which leads to complications and requires treatment. It is not known why this happens.
Risk factors
Factors that can increase your risk of developing a hepatic hemangioma, which is causing signs and symptoms, include:
- Your age. Hepatic hemangioma can be diagnosed at any age, but is most commonly diagnosed in people between the ages of 30 and 50.
- Your gender: women are more likely to be diagnosed with liver hemangioma than men.
- Pregnancy. Liver hemangioma is more likely to be diagnosed in pregnant women than in women who have never been pregnant. It is believed that the hormone estrogen, which increases during pregnancy, may play a role in the growth of the hepatic hemangioma.
Complications
- Women diagnosed with liver hemangiomas are at risk of complications if they become pregnant. It is believed that estrogen, a female hormone that increases during pregnancy, causes some liver hemangiomas to increase in size.
- In rare cases, a growing hemangioma can cause signs and symptoms that may need treatment, including pain in the upper right quadrant of the abdomen, abdominal gas, or nausea. A hepatic hemangioma doesn’t mean you can’t get pregnant. However, discussing possible complications with your doctor can help you make a more informed decision.
- Medicines that affect the levels of hormones in your body, such as birth control pills, can cause complications if you have been diagnosed with a liver hemangioma. But it’s controversial. If you are thinking about these types of medications, discuss the benefits and risks with your doctor.