Angioma of the liver: causes, symptoms, course and treatment

 Angioma of the liver is a benign tumor that cannot turn cancerous. The explanations of Dr. Berrebi, gastroenterologist.

Angioma of the liver: what is it, exactly?

A little etymology. In ancient Greek, the prefix "angi-" ​​refers to blood vessels: thus, an angiologist is a doctor specializing in the cardiovascular system, while an angioplasty is a medico-surgical technique which aims to restore the circulation of blood in a vessel. . The suffix "-ome", meanwhile, refers to a "mass" or a "ball": thus, a lipoma is a benign tumor made up of fat,

Angioma of the liver: definition. An angioma of the liver is defined as a "vascular formation at the level of the liver, explains Dr. William Berrebi, gastroenterologist and hepatologist. Clearly, it is an area (more or less important) which is filled with blood in the liver, a pocket of blood in the liver tissue. "On average, angiomas of the liver measure 4 centimeters, according to the French National Society of Gastro-Enterology (SNFGE).

To know. We speak of angioma of the liver, hepatic angioma or hemangioma - these three expressions are synonyms.

Angioma of the liver: what are the causes? There are no particular risk factors for angioma of the liver: this benign hepatic tumor does not have any well-identified specific causes either. "Women would be more concerned than men", however, specifies the gastroenterologist.

According to the French National Society of Gastro-Enterology (SNFGE), hepatic angioma is present in 3 to 5% of the population. They are multiple in the same person in half of the cases.

Warning ! "We must not confuse the angioma of the liver (which is a vascular" mass "in the hepatic tissue) with the liver adenoma, a" mass "in the liver which can develop into a malignant tumor and whose appearance is favored by taking estrogen-progestogens (the contraceptive pill): the angioma of the liver is always benign, it does not degenerate, it can never become cancerous! "warns Dr. William Berrebi. And also ... Focal nodular hyperplasia is also a benign tumor of the liver: it is however much rarer than angioma of the liver since it only concerns (on average) 0.03% of the population according to the French National Society of Gastro-Enterology (SNFGE). While the precise causes of angioma of the liver are not known, focal nodular hyperplasia most often forms in reaction to an arterial malformation: it corresponds to a cluster of liver cells (hepatocytes), organized in the interior of fibrous nodules, the size of which varies between 1 cm and 10 centimeters. Focal nodular hyperplasia mostly affects young women.

Angioma of the liver: what are the symptoms?

To know. In the majority of cases, angioma of the liver is asymptomatic, which means that it goes unnoticed. "It is very often discovered by chance, during a medical imaging examination (MRI, CT scan or abdominal ultrasound), for example during a pregnancy ultrasound in a pregnant woman, specifies the gastroenterologist. Angioma of the liver is a very shiny nodule on ultrasound. "

If it is large, the angioma of the liver can be symptomatic and cause abdominal pain: "the pain is localized at the level of the right hypochondrium (the region at the top right of the navel, under the ribs), and it occurs especially if the angioma of the liver is very large (about ten centimeters in diameter) "explains Dr. William Berrebi.

Angioma of the liver: what are the treatments? In the majority of cases, it is not necessary to treat an angioma of the liver: "it is not even necessary to monitor its progress by regular medical imaging examinations" specifies the specialist.

"If the angioma of the liver is symptomatic (that it causes abdominal pain because it is very large, for example), one can consider a surgical intervention under general anesthesia: it is a question of proceeding to the excision ( that is, on removal) of the portion of the liver that is affected by the angioma, as it is not possible to remove the angioma only. "

Thanks to Dr. William Berrebi, gastroenterologist and hepatologist, author of the podcast Merci Doctor!