Hi,
Ive been told that I have a probable hepatic adenoma of 3cm. After some testing of upper right pain and a bout with peritonitis, doctors have finally come to this conclusion. I just had a CT scan with contrast and am now scheduled for a MRI with contrast. I was wondering if I could get any feedback on if this is something that will need to be surgically removed. I have read a little on this and I am not on birth control(these adenoma are cause of birth control) and have found on internet cases where sometimes they remove them. Also I still have upper right pain, do you think it is caused by the hepatic adenoma? Will it cause this pain Im having?
Thanks
Type4him,
You will find two threads one on Hepatic Adenoma and the other on Focal Nodular Hyperplasia that will prove to be very informative for you. Many people have had surgery and their stories are posted too. Generally with adenoma they do remove them with liver resection due to the chance of rupture. Good luck and you will find this is a great site for information. Dana99
It does not NEED to be removed if it is an HA and yours is small (usually 8-15 cm.)
They usually ARE removed because they can occasionally bleed.
These are RARE benign tumours and care must be taken to differentiate them from malignancies and the CAT scan won't do that.
If you've NEVER been on birth control pills, your chances of having an HA are vanishingly small, like 1 in a million, from the little I know.
Let us know what the MRI shows.
My guess, though, is that they will want to go in and remove it and then biopsy it rather than a needle biopsy which migh CAUSE a bleed. THe logic is that in either way they'll want to take it out so a needle biopsy will be a waste of time.
It MAY be a hemangioma though...no need for surgery and these are very common liver masses. That's gonna be MY guess.
The MRI MIGHT be able to distinguish a hemangioma?
thanks for the feedback lenin. I had been on birth control years ago. I wonder, what will the MRI with contrast show and with this being a smaller one, do you think it will be removed? I was wondering if there may be some conection with the peritonitis and this HA. ?
Thanks
I don't THINK that it has anything to do with the peritonitis? What's the story on your appendix?
But that's only a guess, ANY organ that leaks into the peritoneal cavity can cause peritonitis but the majority are caused by a burst appendix...or in the inner cities, a gunshot or knife wound.
If it's confirmed as an HA, my guess is that it will be YOUR call...the risk of keeping it is small, maybe smaller than the risk of removal.
The only thing that MUST be removed is a malignancy.
Let's see what the MRI shows. I'm still betting on a harmless hemangioma
My appendix was removed with a partial hysterectomy. I hope your right about this being a hemangoma(sp?). I work in the medical field, only as a transcriber and coder/billier but no how to read most any report and what it means ect.. Anyway, when I was initally brought to ER, we learned about the infection in the peritoneum and rushed to surgery. I have an incision from rib cage to pelvic cavity where the surgeon explored for the source and nothing was found to be causing the infection. I have since been to ER several times for pain and a few weeks ago the same surgeon said I had several stones along with sludge and debri in gallbladder. So he removed the gallbladder. I requested the pathology of gallbladder to be faxed to me and come to find out I had zero stones/calcull in gallbladder or duct even after filtration of bile. So why did he take it out? Needless to say, I dont see him anymore. Anyhow I thought maybe if this is a HA, maybe it is seeping or leaking or something to cause the infection and pain. I dont even know if that is possible but the peritonitis had to come from somewhere. Thanks for talking with me. Im so frustrated about all this.
I had zero stones/calcull in gallbladder or duct even after filtration of bile. So why did he take it out?
Because he is well paid to take gallbladders out. He makes the same whether they have stones or not.
A botched GB surgery will cause peritonitis and also right quadrant pain.
You need a GOOD MRI read by a totally disinterested party, preferably someone who DOESN'T work in the same place where you had surgery. I smell a major screw-up with you as the victim.
I need help understanding my MRI w/contrast report. Im waiting on doctor to call about the next step but in the meantime can anyone tell me what any of the following means?
1) The mass does not have a well defined capsule.
2) Neither does it have evidence of a central scar.
3) Its enhancement pattern & lack of pseudo capsule are atypical
4) The mass is hyperintense
Thanks,
Re: Hepatic Adenoma 3cm 
