The diagnosis and treatment of hepatocellular adenoma

Objective To explore the clinical diagnosis and management of hepatecellular adenoma(HA). Methods Seventeen HA cases treated in our hospital from Janurary 1986 to June 2007 were studied retrospectively.The clinical and pathologic data were reviewed. Results Of 17 patients,9 were male and 8 were female with median age of 46 years.None of the female patients had a history of oral contraceptives.Most patients were agymptomatic.Preoperative liver function test and AFP serum test were normal.Preoperative imaging study yielded deftnite diagnosis in only a fraction of patients.All 17 cases underwent surgical resection and the postoperative course is uneventful.All cases were followed up ranging from 6 to 252 months.Recurrence was not found.Pathology reported atypical hyperplagia in 2 cases and with malignant transformation in 1 case. Conclusions The diagnosis of HA is exclusive and dependent on clinical data,laboratory test and radiography.HA has a tendency to malignancy.Surgery is recommended in all cases. Key words: Liver neoplasms; Diagnosis; Therapy;  Adenoma