Mesenchymal hamartoma of the liver

Abstract

A case report of a 7-year-old girl who presented with a 4-year history of painless progressive abdominal swelling that became painful 2 weeks before presentation. Examination revealed a girl in painful distress with distended abdomen and a tender palpable firm right upper quadrant abdominal mass measuring 28 cm × 22 cm with well-defined borders. Abdominal ultrasound scan showed a cystic liver mass filling the abdomen which was multilocular. Liver function tests show mildly elevated liver enzymes and mild prolongation of the prothrombin time. She had repeated aspiration of the cyst content in various peripheral hospitals with transient relief of symptoms. She thereafter had abdominal exploration through a right upper transverse incision and was found to have a cystic mass involving segments V, VI, and VII of the right lobe of the liver measuring 30 cm × 26 cm. Marsupialization of the cyst was done and an incisional biopsy of the cyst wall was taken. Histology of the cyst wall showed a mesenchymal hamartoma of the liver (MHL). The aim of this study is to highlight the clinical features, diagnosis, treatment, and differential diagnosis of MHL