Hemangioma
A liver hemangioma is a benign lump of blood vessels either in the liver or on its surface. This tumour doesn’t cause any symptoms. In fact, most people don’t even know they have a liver hemangioma. It may be discovered during a procedure or test when looking for a completely different condition. Generally, they develop externally on the skin while some others may develop inside organs.
Even when diagnosed, usually liver hemangiomas don’t need treatment.
A liver hemangioma doesn’t elevate one’s chances of developing cancer. This tumour measures not more than 4 cm in diameter but it could be larger too. If larger, it can develop symptoms like nausea and stomach pain. Pregnant women and those on estrogen replacement therapy have an elevated risk of developing this tumour.
If developed in infants, it can be dangerous and is known as infantile hemangioendothelioma. This rare condition usually develops before an infant is six months old. This tumour may not be cancerous but could lead to higher chances of heart failure.
Causes
Though doctors aren’t sure why liver hemangiomas develop; it is widely believed that it could be genetic. Alternatively, they could be birth defects. They can develop at any point in an individual’s life. Generally, those between 30 and 50 years are prone to develop it. It is also more common among women.
Symptoms
Liver hemangioma is not known to cause symptoms. But if the tumour is aggravated due to an injury or altered levels of estrogen, there could be symptoms, such as:
- Pain in the upper part of the stomach
- Lack of appetite
- Nausea
- Vomiting
Diagnosis
Since this condition doesn’t cause symptoms, it generally remains undiagnosed. It’s found while testing for another medical condition, for instance, while performing an ultrasound, MRI or CT scan. These tests are low-risk and non-invasive and throw up pictures of organs and their tissues so that the doctor can see the organ and its neighbouring structures in the required detail.
Treatment
Generally, this condition doesn’t need treatment but only monitoring. However, the doctor may decide to operate upon it and remove it surgically if it’s both large and is leading up to symptoms, or if it causes the patient pain or a damaged liver.
Your doctor may also decide to conduct a surgical operation called a hepatic artery ligation where the main artery that supplies blood to the liver hemangioma is cut off. The liver will then get blood from other arteries and still be healthy.
Medication can also be given to stop blood from flowing into the liver. Ultimately, this leads to arterial embolization. Rarely, if ever, is a liver transplant performed. This is done when the hemangioma is very large or there are many of them that are past all treatment.
To reduce the size of the tumour, the doctor may try radiation therapy.
WHY Rela Hospital
Advantages/Expertise
The Rela Hospital, Chennai, doesn’t only treat commonly experienced liver diseases but also those rare ones. One such rare liver disease is liver hemangioma, which affects very few people. However, our Liver Hemangioma Treatment Specialists in Chennai, India at our hospital are well-versed with all the treatment such patients should be given. So, it’s not uncommon for them to have good outcomes.
The Rela Hospital, though multi-disciplinary, is led by a liver specialist and winner of the Guinness Book of World Records for performing complicated surgery on a five-month-old baby. Prof. Rela, winner of this title and founder of this institute leads the staff to go beyond themselves and do the impossible. No wonder, people often regard us as a Liver Hemangioma treatment hospital in Chennai.
This hospital has state-of-the-art technology, the best in men and machines, and staff that constantly updates its knowledge of techniques in surgery and treatment. These strengths come to light when we are faced with complicated surgeries. But, since this hospital has had a track record of having good outcomes, it is known as the Best Hemangioma Treatment Hospital In India.
To know more, call for an appointment on +91 9384681770