title: Prevalence of benign focal liver lesions: ultrasound investigation of 45,319 hospital patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the study was to determine the sonographic prevalence of benign focal liver lesions on the basis of a population of hospital patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  The ultrasound results in a population of (n = 45,319) hospital patients over a period of 10 years were examined retrospectively and evaluated for the diagnosis of benign focal liver lesions [hepatic cysts, hepatic hemangioma, focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH), hepatic adenoma, and focal fatty sparing]. Results that were incomplete or ambiguous were excluded from this study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At least one of the lesions to be investigated was diagnosed in 15.1% (n = 6839) of the patients of the total population. The most commonly recorded lesion, with a total prevalence of 6.3% (n = 2839), was focal fatty sparing, followed by hepatic cysts with 5.8% (n = 2631). The prevalence of hepatic hemangioma was 3.3% (n = 1640), while that of FNH was 0.2% (n = 81) and that of hepatic adenoma was 0.04% (n = 19). An association between the occurrence of benign focal liver lesions and age was observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The calculated prevalence of benign focal liver lesions shows that on the fortuitous discovery of space-occupying lesions of the liver, first consideration should be given to focal fatty sparing, simple hepatic cysts and hemangiomas. The finding of a FNH or an adenoma is rarely a random discovery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital Ulm, Albert-Einstein-Allee 23, 89081, Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Tanja Eva-Maria
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Kaltenbach
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital Ulm, Albert-Einstein-Allee 23, 89081, Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Phillip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Engler
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital Ulm, Albert-Einstein-Allee 23, 89081, Ulm, Germany. wolfgang.kratzer@uniklinik-ulm.de.|Zentraler Ultraschall, Klinik für Innere Medizin I, Zentrum für Innere Medizin, Universitätsklinikum Ulm, Albert-Einstein-Allee 23, 89081, Ulm, Germany. wolfgang.kratzer@uniklinik-ulm.de.
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kratzer
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital Ulm, Albert-Einstein-Allee 23, 89081, Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Suemeyra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oeztuerk
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital Ulm, Albert-Einstein-Allee 23, 89081, Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Seufferlein
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital Ulm, Albert-Einstein-Allee 23, 89081, Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Mark Martin
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Haenle
authors.affiliation: Department of Interventional and Diagnostic Radiology, University Hospital Ulm, Albert-Einstein-Allee 23, 89081, Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Tilmann
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Graeter
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014463:Ultrasonography
keywords: Focal fatty sparing; Focal liver lesions; Focal nodular hyperplasia; Hepatic adenoma; Hepatic cysts; Hepatic hemangioma
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