title: Spontaneous regression of intrahepatic lesions mimicking metastatic disease.
abstract: This is a case report of a 53-year-old male with chronic hepatitic C infection presenting with weight loss and elevated liver function tests. Repeated ultrasonography, computed tomography and magnet resonance imaging showed multiple intrahepatic lesions suggestive of metastatic disease. Repeated ultrasound-guided biopsies from the lesions as well as from the adjacent normal appearing liver tissue revealed no malignancy but showed inflammation and significant fibrotic tissue, consistent with chronic hepatitis C. 2 years after the first admission liver function tests were all within the normal range and remained so until today. Computed tomography at that time showed complete remission of all intrahepatic lesions. The exact diagnosis remained elusive but the rare case of reversible focal fibrosis is the most likely cause of these spontaneously regressive lesions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Ruprecht-Karls-University, Heidelberg, Germany. Juergen_Pohl@med.uni-heidelberg.de
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pohl
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hess
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hofmann
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Stremmel
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kallinowski
mesh_terms: D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012075:Remission, Spontaneous