title: A small mucinous cystadenocarcinoma of the liver detected by a fluid-fluid level on ultrasonography.
abstract: A case of small, borderline malignant biliary mucinous cystic tumor is presented. The patient initially presented to us 18 months earlier to undergo a sigmoid colon resection for sigmoid colon cancer. At that time, a liver cyst measuring 18 x 12 mm was detected. On a follow-up abdominal ultrasonography study for colon cancer, the liver cyst had enlarged to 21 mm in diameter and contained a fluid-fluid level 18 months after surgery. Histological examination of a needle biopsy specimen indicated possible adenocarcinoma. Lateral segmentectomy of the liver was performed. Histopathologically, the tumor was diagnosed as a mucinous cystic tumor, of border line malignancy, which had originated from a bile duct gland. It contained both mucinous and serous components, which were thought to have caused the formation of a fluid-fluid level within the cyst. In this case, the fluid-fluid level demonstrated by ultrasonography was beneficial in the early detection of a cystic tumor of the liver. This case may be the smallest reported cystadenocarcinoma of the liver yet published.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Adachi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Doy
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tsunoda-Shimizu
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ozaki
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D018282:Cystadenocarcinoma, Mucinous / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D014463:Ultrasonography