Large solitary nonparasitic cyst of the liver. Report of a case in which both major hepatic lobes were involved.

Abstract

Solitary nonparasitic hepatic cysts are rare. Geist 4 collected 193 cases from the world literature up to 1954. Subsequently, 36 additional articles have appeared, making the total well over 200 cases. Others 1-3,5-9 have presented extensive reviews of the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and natural history, as well as treatment utilized in various forms of hepatic cystic disease. The present case of a solitary multilocular cyst is worthy of report, because the main cavity involved the whole of the left hepatic lobe, as well as the entire superior surface of the right lobe. The extent of involvement presented a difficult therapeutic problem at the time of surgery. In contrast to polycystic disease of the liver, which is commonly associated with cystic changes in other organs and frequently terminates fatally at an early age, solitary cysts often produce little or no disability. Characteristically, symptoms first appear in the fourth or fifth decade, with