Hepatic angiomyolipoma: a clinical experience in diagnosis and treatment.
BACKGROUND
Hepatic angiomyolipoma is a rare mesenchyme-derived neoplasm often misdiagnosed as hepatocellular carcinoma, and the treatment for it remains controversial.


OBJECTIVE
To develop the optimal preoperative diagnoses means and treatment modalities of hepatic angiomyolipoma.


METHODS
Retrospective analysis of the clinical features, treatment, and prognostic data of 17 hepatic AML patients admitted to Chinese People's Liberation Army Generation Hospital between 1996 and 2006.


RESULTS
Most hepatic angiomyolipoma were solitary. The overall preoperative diagnostic rate was 18% and the most common misdiagnosis was hepatocellular carcinoma (10/17, 59%). In three patients, observation was performed for 2-3 years before being admitted. The tumors increased 1-9 cm in size in all patients. All of the 17 patients finally received various liver resection procedures, and postoperative mortality and morbidity was 0 and 12% (2/17). After a median follow-up period of 73 months, the tumor recurred only in one patient 9 years post-operatively.


CONCLUSIONS
Hepatic angiomyolipoma should be suspected in liver tumor patients with normal α-fetoprotein levels and no concomitant hepatitis. Preoperative MRI combined with percutaneous fine-needle biopsy should be the diagnostic methods of choice. Small hepatic AML proved through pathologic examination (<5 cm) may be managed by observation with close follow-up, but surgery is indicated in patients suffering from large tumors or significantly larger tumors during follow-up.
Zeng
Jian-Ping
JP
Hospital & Institute of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Chinese PLA General Hospital, 28 Fu-Xing Road, Haidian District, Beijing, China.
Dong
Jia-Hong
JH
Zhang
Wen-Zhi
WZ
Wang
Jing
J
Pang
Xiao-Ping
XP
D000328:Adult; D018207:Angiomyolipoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D044963:Biopsy, Fine-Needle; D005260:Female; D006498:Hepatectomy / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D055815:Young Adult; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000032:analysis
D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins