Same day arterial embolisation followed by hepatic resection for treatment of giant haemangioma

Abstract

Cavernous haemangiomas are the most common tumour of the liver; they are benign in nature and have an incidence of up to 7.3% at autopsy. Occasionally, they may cause symptoms necessitating intervention. We report the case of a woman who presented with nonspecific abdominal pain and evidence of a giant hepatic haemangioma on abdominal imaging. She underwent selective hepatic arteriography with transcatheter arterial embolisation followed by same-day left hemihepatectomy, making an uneventful recovery. We discuss the management of giant hepatic haemangiomas and present same day transcatheter arterial embolisation prior to hepatic resection as a safe and viable treatment strategy in selected cases.