Emergency laparotomy for misdiagnosed biliary cystadenoma originating from caudate lobe.
BACKGROUND
Biliary cystadenoma is a rare benign neoplasm, which is often misdiagnosed for a hepatic abscess or a hydatid cyst that tends to recur and is at risk for progression to malignant neoplasm.


METHODS
This case describes a 30-year-old woman admitted to our institution in an emergency setting. The patient was originally misdiagnosed as affected by a hepatic hydatid cyst at another hospital, and then emergently treated at our Institution for severe abdominal pain. Histologic evaluation of the cyst showed that it was a biliary cystadenoma and, therefore, the patient underwent a hepatic resection in order to completely remove the lesion.


CONCLUSIONS
Complete excision of any suspicious hepatic cystic lesion remains the best method for diagnosis and treatment of cystadenoma. Incomplete excision of most biliary cystadenoma results in a higher rate of recurrence and the risk of malignant transformation. We report this case to elucidate the clinical presentation, preoperative evaluation, and surgical treatment of these rare lesions.
Ramacciato
Giovanni
G
Hepatobiliary-pancreatic Surgery, University of Rome La Sapienza, II School of Medicine, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Rome, Italy. giovanni.ramacciato@uniroma1.it
Nigri
Giuseppe R
GR
D'Angelo
Francesco
F
Aurello
Paolo
P
Bellagamba
Riccardo
R
Colarossi
Cristina
C
Pilozzi
Emanuela
E
Del Gaudio
Massimo
M