2 yr. old with enlarged liver

[mama079]

i just googled enlarged liver in toddlers,i found this web site and an answer to another parents question that sounds similar to what my son is going through.here is a bit of history,shoulder dystocia,erbs palsey,broken left humerous, possible drop seizures,and acid reflux.none of that has anything to do with this problem,or atleast i don't think so.the acid reflux could possibly have something to do with this,i assume.i don't really have a clue.he has never had much of an appetite but he is a big boy.90th percentile all around.he has had feeding therapy b/c he does not want to eat anything and it seemed to be a texture issue.now the texture thing is pretty well taken care of but he still will not eat,i am lucky to get 1 or 2 veggie nuggets in him a day OR a half of a peice of toast.i give him pediasure  and v8 fusion to get him the nutrients he needs,he has normal bowel movements about 3 times a day.he's very active.but his abdomen  is huge. i thought maybe it was a normal toddler belly,but i realized it's alot more firm than a normal stomach. i went to the pediatrician expecting to be told i was crazy and he's fine,but just wanted to check it out anyway.instead i left with...he has an enlarged liver,they are doing blood work and an ultra sound tomorrow.do you have any idea what could cause this or what i should do ,or just any advice at all? i live in south jersey,about 3 hours from new york city.i am going to get his work done at childrens hospital of philadelphia.what could this be?i'm worried sick.

[Thomas D Schiano, MD]

i think you are doing the right thing taking him to a specialist.  it is possible this is nothing but there could also be a metabolic disease of the liver.  the blood and urine tests are very important to initiate the work-up.  Please let me know if i can help further.  he will be seen at a very good place.

[Thomas D Schiano, MD]

cysts do not have blood vessels, tumors might have arteries or veins.  he may need a biopsy but we will await the MRI results. let me know the blood results.

[mama079]

my son had his ultra sound and it showed a few different things,nothing clear so we are going for an mri on monday..we saw an oncologist and she did some blood work. i'll find out more this week..his liver is 7 inches,and there were what are either cysts or tumors that are either in or on his liver.the mri will tell us more as you know.my question is this...what is the difference if the "cysts or tumors" have blood vessels,or arteries in or around them?or if they don't?