Liver Hemangioma/

[Heather22darling]

Dear Doctor:

I am glad I have found this forum to answer my questions and clear any douts I may have had.

I am aware that liver hemangioma is asymptomatic, however, I was sent to get a scan because my doctor felt something in my right side while examining me.  I used to feel some kind of fullness in that area but paid it little attention since I keep going to the doctor and they never find anything wrong with me.

For about 3 weeks now, I have been have a burning sensation in my right side, just below my ribcage. It is tender to touch, my skin itches in that area, and today my right side hurt to the point that I had to get up and walk around.  I did not call the doctor because they told me I should come back to the clinic in 4 months... I have 2 months left to return.

I am concerned about this pain. A few days ago, I had such pain in my abdomen that it woke me from my sleep.  Pain radiated from my abdomen, to my back and down my leg.

In an unlikely event that the hemangioma ruptures, what would my symptoms be? Would this be a reason for the things described above? Does this take blood supply and causes tiredness and just a feeling a malaise?

Thank you for reading my questions.  I look forward to response.
Sincerely
Heather22darling

[Kevin Pho, MD]

If the hemangioma ruptures, it can cause pain, but more likely would cause symptoms suggestive of blood loss (i.e. dizziness, fainting, light-headedness).  

In terms of the pain, it can be suggestive of nerve or musculoskeletal pain.  You may want to consider an ultrasound to ensure the liver and gallbladder to be free of disease other than the hemangioma.  

Ulcers and other causes of dyspepsia (GERD or inflammation of the upper digestive tract) can atypically present with right upper quadrant pain, and can be evaluated with an upper GI series or upper endoscopy.  

You may want to discuss these options with your personal physician.

Followup with your personal physician is essential.

This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice - the information presented is for patient education only. Please see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.

Kevin, M.D.
Medical Weblog:
kevinmd_b

[Erik36]

Look down to your previous question about elevated LFT and drug use. I found a connection between marijuana and increased LFT.

[surgeon]

If a hemangioma were to rupture, which is rare, the symptoms have to do with blood loss; it bleeds freely into the abdominal cavity, and eventually would cause shock. If it were to stop on its own without getting to that point, there might be abdominal pain, which could be in the right upper quadrant, or generalized, with or without pain in the right shoulder. What you describe sounds possibly like nerve pain; it could be such things as an inflamed or pinched nerve, or even, with the skin symptoms, shingles. A hemangioma would not cause tiredness or malaise.

[alwaysbloated]

i had a ct done of my abdomen for severe bloating that i have had every day since october
my GI doctor told me that they found a small clot of blood vessels on my liver ..but told me it was nothing to worry about and had nothing to do with the bloating .. he told me it was like having a birth mark on my liver ..he was very non-chalant about it ..
maybe it is nothing to worry about ..but he didnt go into much detail at all about  
and so im trying to get more info about this type of thing

does anyone know if this clot/mass whatever it is can continue to grow ..and then rupture down the road??

if anyone has any info about these benign liver tumors plz let me know
thanks

[angiencnurse]

Liver Hemangiomas and/or a fatty liver are frequently seen in many people. I am also one of those people (still waiting for more tests to give me a definitive answer). MRI seems to best advise on size and shape due to better imaging than does the CT exam. With right lower lobe liver masses, even a gallbladder ultrasound can be done to "rule-out" a possible gallbaldder problem. (I did have these tests done in this past month myself!) Pain also seems to be an intermittent problem, as I am finding out. However, no aspirin (or salicylates) products should be taken until tests are confirmed and your physician advises otherwise.  I wish us all the luck with our diagnoses !

[nly10]

I had a number of growing hepatic hemangiomas, the largest measuring 7.5 cm X 4.5 cm (up from 3 cm six years ago). Pain was quite common as the capsule of my liver was a bit enlarged. Sit-ups, shoveling snow, driving down a bumpy road, all could set off pain that would last a day. Sometimes even a wrong twist could create pain on my right side under my ribs and extending to my back.

As my large hemangioma extended virtually to the surface of my right lobe and could be ruptured with impact and knowing that I lead an active lifestyle, I pursued treatment. Looked into surgery (both resection and enucleation) at U of Colorado (my home) and U of Pittsburgh. Checked out embolization with the top guy in the field, Wayne Yakes. And listened to my hepatologist who said, "Just wait as long as you can, then have surgery."

Finally, I read about radiofrequency (RF) ablation being done in China and sought out radiologists in the U.S. who had tried this. Found one, Dr. Zagoria at Wake Forest. He had treated one person successfully. Then I spoke to Dr. Fred Lee at U. of Wisconsin who had treated a half-dozen patients with large non-malignant liver lesions. He had just invented a new RF multiprobe machine that could operate in 1/3 the time (less anesthesia and less risk). I became his first hemangioma patient and the first to use all three probes on his new machine. That was six weeks ago and I'm feeling great. I even skied the bumps 2 weeks ago without any pain.

I highly recommend patients with symptomatic cavernous hemangiomas in their livers to call Dr. Lee at U of Wisconsin for treatment. It is a great option. If my other hemangiomas continue to grow, I will probably return to him for treatment in a few years.

[smuggy52]

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[Joyce_532]

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