Many patients are shocked when they see the word "tumor" in their diagnosis. Even the doctors' explanation that the neoplasm is still benign does not reassure them very much. However, there are tumors with which people live perfectly for many years, not suspecting that they have such a pathology. One of them is hemangioma of the liver, the causes of which have not yet been precisely determined. Many doctors classify this disease as rare, although it is found in 7% of the world's inhabitants.
In the article we will tell you what it is - hemangioma of the liver. Treatment with both medicines and folk methods of this disease can give good results, but only if measures are taken on time. If not, the patient may die from the resulting bleeding, which will be the culprit of this "harmless" tumor.
General information
Hemangioma is essentially a benign tumor of blood vessels, in which there are certain pathologies. Suchthe vessels are arranged randomly, grow uncontrollably and do not fulfill their main role, which is to transport oxygen and nutrients to the organs. Such neoplasms can occur on any part of the body and in any organ - in the liver, in the kidneys, in the ovaries. Even in the brain and spinal cord, they can appear.
Let's give some more interesting facts that will help you understand what it is - hemangioma of the liver. Treatment and preventive measures for this pathology are carried out only in individual cases, which will be discussed below. Basically, doctors take a wait-and-see attitude, since in 90% of children, hemangiomas resolve by themselves by the age of 10, leaving no traces.
In girls, such formations are observed about 7 times more often than in boys (according to some sources, 4 times), and the lower the weight of the baby, the more tumor he has.
A nice and very important feature of these formations is that they never develop into cancer.
Causes of liver hemangioma in children
The etiology of this pathology has not been fully elucidated. In principle, this can be said about all benign and malignant tumors. The reasons for their occurrence are in the area of assumptions. If we talk about liver hemangioma observed in infants, experts attribute its appearance to adverse events during pregnancy (up to 12 weeks) that can affect the formation of fetal blood vessels. This includes all known causes that negatively affect the development of the embryo:
- Hereditary factor.
- Transmission of diseases by the expectant mother. Regarding hemangioma, influenza and SARS are especially dangerous, since the viruses that cause them release toxins that negatively affect the formation of blood vessels.
- Constant stress in the first trimester.
- Using certain drugs.
- Lack of vitamins in the diet of a pregnant woman.
- Smoking and drinking.
Symptoms
Not only the causes of liver hemangioma are not entirely clear. And the treatment of this pathology also does not have a clear algorithm. As noted above, most doctors only monitor the condition of the tumor if it happens to be detected. The fact is that hemangioma of the liver in most people does not manifest itself. People live with it to a ripe old age and do not suspect that they have such a pathology. This mainly concerns small solitary tumors that practically do not affect the functioning of the liver.
If there are several hemangiomas in the liver or it is one, but very large (from 5 cm and above), a person may develop symptoms that are difficult to ignore:
- Liver enlargement.
- Pain or unexplained discomfort in the right side.
- Nausea worse after eating fried, spicy foods.
In rare cases, when liver hemangioma reaches very large volumes (weight - 1500 grams or more), it can compress the bile ducts. Then the patient may additionally appear suchsymptoms:
- Vomiting.
- Dark urine.
- Yellowing of the skin and sclera of the eyes.
- BP problems.
- Fatigue (a person cannot run or walk fast, as he immediately has pain in his right side).
- Swelling of the legs if the inferior vena cava is compressed by the tumor.
What is it - liver hemangioma in adults
This pathology is found mainly in women of young and middle age (from 30 to 50 years). Doctors attribute this to the peculiarity of the work of female hormones. Hemangioma in adults is the same as in children, that is, a benign vascular tumor. It is formed from intertwined abnormal vessels filled with blood. The difference may be that over the years in adults, the accumulation of blood can increase significantly, sometimes reaching 5 kg or more. An incredible case was recorded when the tumor weighed 35 kg!
Causes of liver hemangioma in adults may be as follows:
- Improper development of blood vessels at the stage of the embryo.
- Liver injury.
- Endocrine diseases.
- Hormonal disorders.
- Use hormonal contraceptives.
Of course, too large tumors negatively affect neighboring tissues, compress the bile ducts and normally developed vessels. This explains why the symptoms of hemangioma in adults are often more pronounced than in children. Adults have:
- Liver enlargement.
- Discomfort, pain, pressure, heaviness inright side.
- Nausea after eating.
- Sometimes there is vomiting (especially after eating fatty and spicy foods, large doses of alcohol).
- Swelling of the legs.
- Icterus of the sclera and skin.
In adults, other pathological formations are often found simultaneously with hemangioma - cysts, diseases of the bile ducts, gallbladder, hernia in the esophagus. Each of these deviations from the norm adds its own symptoms. For example, with problems with bile, there is a bitter taste in the mouth, flatulence, irritability, itchy skin, impaired stools, and with a hernia - heartburn, belching rotten or sour, regurgitation of food, difficulty swallowing. These symptoms do not indicate a hemangioma, but if they are present, it is imperative to check the condition of the liver.
Classification
There are four types of liver hemangioma:
- Capillary. Small vessels take part in its formation. For this reason, such tumors are very small (up to 2 cm), and it is much more difficult to detect them.
- Cavernous. It is formed by the fusion of larger vessels in diameter. Such a tumor can be 5 centimeters or more in size. Often it is a cavity filled with blood, due to the addition of which the tumor grows.
- Membrane. It differs in that multiple septa are observed in the tumor.
- Mixed. This type is observed very rarely and is present in the liver and capillary and cavernous hemangiomas. This often leads to liver failure, and infurther - to cirrhosis.
Note that in the vast majority of cases, either capillary or cavernous hemangioma is found in people, and it is most often located in the right lobe of the liver.
Complications
Can hemangioma of the liver be harmful to human he alth, if it does not develop into cancer, almost does not cause trouble, plus it resolves itself? It turns out it can. Under certain circumstances, this tumor - a cavity filled with blood - can burst, leading to massive bleeding. At the same time, mortality is observed in 80% of cases.
Hemangiomas can rupture:
- Liver injury (strike, bruise).
- Sudden movements.
- High loads (e.g. lifting a bar).
The symptoms of this phenomenon are very characteristic:
- A sharp stabbing pain that appears suddenly and spreads throughout the peritoneum.
- Lower pressure.
- Violation of the heart, lungs.
- Cold sweat.
- Loss of consciousness.
- Coma.
In view of such a deadly complication of liver hemangioma, it is desirable to detect and observe its growth dynamics in time.
Diagnosis
Even if there are no obvious symptoms in the pathology we describe, it is advisable to diagnose and treat hemangioma of the liver. The reasons for its rupture can be the most common, from which no one is immune (for example, a person stumbled or slipped on a slippery road and fell unsuccessfully), and the consequences of such an injuryalways heavy. Even if the patient's life can be saved, internal bleeding will require long-term treatment and rehabilitation.
Most often, this tumor in the liver is detected during routine (professional examination) or other examinations due to any diseases of the internal organs.
You can notice a tumor in the liver with such hardware types of abdominal diagnostics:
- Ultrasound.
- MRI.
- CT.
- MSCT.
If a hemangioma of the liver is detected, additionally carry out:
- Celiacography (angiography of the celiac trunk).
- Hepatoscintigraphy (to make sure the tumor found is benign).
The final study in the presence or absence of symptoms of pathology in the liver is a biochemical analysis of plasma and blood, better known as liver tests. Blood is taken from a vein. A person should take this analysis on an empty stomach. A few days before the study, you can not take alcohol, eat fatty, fried, spicy foods. On the day of blood donation, do not smoke until you visit the laboratory.
Liver tests are performed for examination of both children and adults, but the norms of all indicators for different age categories are not the same.
If a hemangioma is suspected, the amount of albumin in the plasma is determined. If it is less than normal, this may indicate many pathologies in the liver, including hemangioma.
Also determine the amount of bilirubin, ALT and AST transaminases, GGTP, prothrombin time.
Because one of the reasonsthe development of hemangioma in the liver, doctors call a hereditary factor, during the diagnosis they study genetic markers. Scientists suggest that this pathology often develops in people with the 2nd blood group.
Puncture of hemangioma is not done, as this can provoke bleeding.
Read more about hardware research
What is ultrasound, CT and MRI, everyone knows, so we will not dwell on them. Let's talk about other studies that are not yet known to everyone.
Celiacography allows you to recreate the picture of blood flow in the vessels. It is performed by injecting a contrast agent, after which an angiogram is taken. The procedure is expensive. In Moscow, the average price is 19,300 rubles (for comparison, we note that the MSCT described below costs from 6,300 rubles).
The method of hardware research MSCT is the same computed tomography, only spiral. When it is performed, the tube of the tomograph continuously rotates, and it itself moves. As a result, it is possible to obtain three-dimensional images with a cut of only 0.5 mm. This study is very informative in diseases of the gallbladder, pancreas, spleen, lymph nodes and liver hemangioma.
Hepatoscintigraphy is an effective and relatively inexpensive (from 5700 rubles) study using a radiotracer injected into the liver. The drug is distributed over its volume and begins to emit specific signals. Using them, the operator can accurately determine the presence, location and size of not only liver hemangioma, but also changes in the parenchyma, hepatomegaly, portalhypertension.
Treatment criteria
Given the high mortality rate when a hemangioma ruptures, it is logical to assume that when it is detected, a course of therapy is necessary. However, in practice, everything is different. In children, such a tumor is not treated in 99% of cases, since it has an excellent property to resolve on its own with age.
Treatment of liver hemangioma in adults, depending on clinical indications, is carried out by different methods: conservative, traditional, surgical, non-invasive, based on new technologies.
A few words about size. Hemangioma is only in some, very rare cases round, which allows us to talk about its diameter. In most patients, it has an arbitrary shape. Its value is usually measured in three projections where its cross section is maximum.
Regardless of whether the hemangioma is large or small, if it does not bother the patient at all, treatment is not prescribed. Doctors only monitor the dynamics of its growth. For this purpose, the patient undergoes an ultrasound of the liver every six months.
Conservative and alternative methods of therapy
At the moment, official medicine offers a therapeutic course using drugs that correct the presence and amount of hormones. The doctor prescribes the funds in each case individually, based on the results of the tests, the location and size of the tumor.
Great help is provided by alternative treatment of hemangioma of the liver. There are many recipes for healers. Each uses only natural products.
Drugs have different effects:
- Strengthen immunity.
- Relieve symptoms (pain, nausea).
- Relieve inflammation of neighboring organs caused by tumor pressure.
- They have choleretic properties, which reduce the burden on the liver.
- Repair the liver after surgery.
They do not dissolve the tumor and do not reduce in size.
We offer several recipes:
- Kombucha. Those who have it drink tea infused on it to prevent any diseases. In addition, the drink itself tastes good. A mushroom is a living being, it needs to be grown on a sweet tea broth. Drink the drink several times a day. This remedy has a lot of therapeutic effects, including choleretic, tonic, anti-inflammatory.
- Honey. This product has a lot of useful substances. It is used to prevent and treat dozens of ailments. To improve the condition of liver hemangioma, you need to drink a glass of warm water every morning, in which a teaspoon of honey is diluted. After that, you need to lie down on your right side for 15 minutes.
- Pumpkin, mint and milk thistle. They take 200 ml of pumpkin seed oil, 100 ml of milk thistle oil (you can cook it yourself, from the seeds of the plant, which you need to infuse in ordinary oil for two weeks), 5 drops of mint essential oil. Mix everything thoroughly. Take 30 days on a spoon half an hour before breakfast.
- Oat seeds. Fill them with a glass (slightly below the edge), pour plain water, leave for 10 hours. The seeds should swell. After that theyyou need to boil over low heat for half an hour, leave to infuse for another 12 hours. Strain. Add 1 liter of boiled water to the resulting broth. Consume 100 ml three times a day.
Surgical methods
Treatment of folk remedies for hemangioma of the liver can only be used as an aid to reduce symptoms (if any) and to improve the functioning of all body systems.
Surgical treatment is carried out in such situations:
- Rupture of tumor vessels and open bleeding.
- The size of the neoplasm is more than 50 mm.
- Growth dynamics (if tumor size increases by 50% or more per year).
- Severe symptoms associated with the influence of hemangioma on neighboring tissues.
- Assumption that the tumor is malignant.
There are two types of liver surgery:
- Lobectomy. It consists in removing only that segment of the liver where the tumor is located. The cost of such an operation in Moscow is from 6,500 rubles.
- Hemihepatectomy. It consists in removing from the 5th to the 8th segments of the liver. The cost of such a surgical intervention is from 10,500 rubles.
Surgeries are not performed if patients have contraindications:
- Cirrhosis of the liver.
- Germination of hemangioma into the main hepatic vessels.
- Location of the tumor in two lobes of the liver.
Invasive Methods
Sparing and at the same time very effective treatment of liver hemangioma is becoming more and more popular. These methods include:
1. Sclerosis. It is used not only for hemangioma of the liver, but also for the treatment of vascular diseases in other parts of the body. It consists in the introduction of a substance called "sclerosant" into the vessels with a syringe. Under its influence, the vessels stick together, which prevents blood flow to the tumor and its further growth.
2. Embolization. During this procedure, under local anesthesia, embolic substances are introduced into the vessels of the liver, which clog their gaps. As a result, new portions of blood stop flowing to the tumor.
3. Microwave radiation and liquid nitrogen. This method successfully treats hemangiomas in children and adults. It is not traumatic, does not cause bleeding. Vessels under the influence of microwave rays and nitrogen supplied at very low temperatures are destroyed, leaving no scars.
4. laser therapy. It is based on the fact that the laser beam glues the vessels, which stops the flow of blood into the hemangioma. The method has contraindications:
- Insulin addiction.
- Epilepsy.
- Infectious diseases.
- The presence of oncology in any organ.
5. Electrocoagulation. It is mainly used to remove neoplasms on the skin (moles, warts, nevi). The method is based on burning formations with a special element heated to high temperatures. If the device, called an electrocoagulator, operates in a monopolar mode, the bleeding stops in the vessel. In addition, physicians began to apply an innovative method based on the introduction into pathologicalvessels of specific substances that are heated to high temperatures and burn out the tumor, and the dead tissue is further split.
Opinions of doctors and patients
The vast majority of doctors believe that hemangioma of the liver, which does not make itself felt and does not prevent a person from living peacefully, does not need to be treated. At numerous medical forums, experts explain to people that with this pathology you can go in for sports, give birth to children, work in any speci alty.
Patients in reviews of liver hemangioma are optimistic that its treatment does not cause any complications. He alth after surgery or other medical effects is fully restored.
Some patients report that the hemangioma in their liver disappeared after gerudotherapy, although doctors do not recommend this method.
Doctors' recommendations
There are no preventive measures against diseases in the development of which the factor of heredity is involved. Doctors who observe patients with hemangioma of the liver say the same. To reduce the risk of fetal vascular pathologies, there are standard recommendations for pregnant women:
- Do not take alcohol.
- No smoking.
- Eat vitamin-rich foods.
- Do not take any medication unless advised by a doctor.
- Pass all the necessary examinations.
To reduce the risk of developing hemangioma in adults, it is recommended to take allhormonal drugs.
Proper nutrition plays an important role in liver hemangioma. Nutritionists for those who have this pathology prescribe table number 5. According to the recommendations of specialists, you can use the following products:
- Porridge.
- Diet sausages.
- Lean meat (chicken, turkey, beef).
- Olive oil.
- Fruits.
- Low fat dairy.
- Med.
- Kissels and compotes.
- Rosehip decoction.
- River fish.
- Some vegetables (zucchini, potatoes, cucumbers).
Exclude from the menu:
- Fried, spicy, smoked foods.
- Soda drinks.
- Vegetables (cabbage, radish, radish, sorrel).
- Fatty meat (pork, lamb).
- Coffee, chocolate.
- Fatty dairy products.
- Sea fish.
- Alcohol.
It is important to remember that even permitted foods should be consumed in small portions, but 4 to 6 times a day.
