is cyst in the liver dangerous-i was diagnised having two cysts. please clarify whether and medication/surgery

Answer 1

I think this topic will sort out your problem:

Medical therapy:

Simple cysts

No medical therapy has proven effective in reducing the size of simple hepatic cysts. Percutaneous aspiration under ultrasound or CT guidance is technically simple but has been abandoned because the recurrence rates are nearly 100%. Aspiration combined with sclerosis with alcohol or other agents has been successful in some patients but has high failure and recurrence rates. Successful sclerosis depends on complete decompression of the cyst and apposition of the cyst walls. This is not possible if the cyst wall is thickened or if the cyst is large. Percutaneous catheters should not be placed to drain simple cysts because the cavity becomes contaminated, leading to the development of hepatic abscess. Unlike the typical pyogenic hepatic abscess, this problem is difficult to resolve with repeated catheter placements because of continued secretion from the cyst epithelium.

Polycystic liver disease/neoplastic cysts

No options are available for the medical treatment of PCLD or cystadenocarcinoma. Because of the malignant potential of cystadenoma, a role also does not exist for medical therapy for this lesion.

Hydatid cysts

Medical therapy with antihydatid agents, albendazole and mebendazole, is relatively ineffective. These drugs are used as adjuvant treatment, but they do not replace surgical or percutaneous therapy. In surgically treated patients, the use of antihydatid agents is generally given perioperatively; continuation is limited to those who have spillage of cyst fluid at the time of operation or to those with cyst rupture. Antihydatid agents are used in conjunction with percutaneous treatment. Medical therapy should be started 4 days prior to percutaneous treatment and continued either for 1 month (albendazole) or for 3 months (mebendazole), according to the World Health Organization recommendations.

PAIR (puncture, aspiration, injection, reaspiration) is a percutaneous treatment technique for hydatid disease. In this minimally invasive method, a needle is introduced into the cyst under ultrasound guidance. Cyst fluid is aspirated and analyzed. Hypertonic saline or ethanol is then injected and reaspirated. PAIRD (puncture, aspiration, injection, reaspiration, drainage) is similar to PAIR except that a catheter is left in place after completion of the procedure. PAIRD is most often used for large cysts.

This percutaneous treatment with sclerosing agents was introduced in the 1980s. Since that time, its use in the treatment of hydatid cysts has been somewhat controversial. However, as this technique has become more common and its safety and efficacy have been reported in the literature, it has been increasingly accepted as a treatment option for hydatid disease. The World Health Organization currently supports PAIR as an effective alternative to surgery, although its use is limited. The World Health Organization guidelines for indications and contraindications of PAIR are as follows:

* Indications for PAIR

o Nonechoic lesion greater than or equal to 5 cm in diameter

o Cysts with daughter cysts and/or with membrane detachment

o Multiple cysts if accessible to puncture

o Infected cysts

o Patients who refuse surgery

o Patients who relapse after surgery

o Patients in whom surgery is contraindicated

o Patients who fail to respond to chemotherapy alone

o Children older than 3 years

o Pregnant women

* Contraindications for PAIR

o Noncooperative patients

o Inaccessible or risky location of the liver cyst

o Cyst in spine, brain, and/or heart

o Inactive or calcified lesion

o Cyst communicating with the biliary tree

Patients should be followed clinically after PAIR treatment. Recurrence is increased in more complicated cysts, including those with multiple daughter cysts.

PAIR should only be performed in highly specialized centers with appropriately trained and experienced staff. In addition, an anesthesiologist should be present for monitoring and treatment in the event of anaphylactic shock. Surgeons should be notified immediately in case of complication.

Hepatic abscesses

Patients with liver abscesses are immediately started on antibiotics/amebicides. If abscesses are small, patients may respond to medications alone. More likely, these patients will require the addition of percutaneous drainage for eradication.

Surgical therapy:

Simple cysts

Most patients with simple cysts are asymptomatic and require no treatment. When the cysts become large and cause symptoms, such as pain, treatment is warranted. Surgical treatment of simple liver cysts involves "unroofing" the cyst by excising the portion of the wall that extends to the surface of the liver. Excision of this portion of the cyst wall at the liver surface produces a saucer-type appearance in the remaining cyst so that any fluid secreted from the remaining epithelium leaks into the peritoneal cavity where it can be absorbed. Although ablating the remaining epithelium with electrocautery or an argon beam coagulator is possible, this generally is not required because the volume of fluid secreted each day can be absorbed by the peritoneum without any consequence.

Historically, treatment of symptomatic hepatic cysts required laparotomy, but, today, cyst unroofing can be successfully performed laparoscopically. Anecdotal reports of laparoscopic treatment became common by the mid 1990s, and, currently, the laparoscopic approach is considered the standard of care. When compared to laparotomy, this technique is associated with less postoperative pain and disability, shorter duration of hospital stay, and superior cosmetic results.

Polycystic liver disease

In AD-PCLD, enlargement of the liver occurs slowly and only rarely compromises liver function. Only those patients with clearly disabling pain should be considered for surgery. In patients with PCLD, the surgical goal is to decompress as much of the cystic liver as possible. This can be accomplished by a combination of unroofing and fenestration or, in selected patients, by resection of the involved portion of the liver (see Image 7). Recurrence of symptoms with either procedure is high as new cysts replace those that have been resected. Small numbers of patients have been treated with liver transplantation.

Neoplastic cysts

Several surgical methods for treatment of cystadenoma and cystadenocarcinoma have been described. Regardless of surgical technique, all surgical options should result in complete ablation of the tumor. Enucleation and formal resection have been accepted as appropriate treatment options. Fenestration and complete fulguration have also been implemented, although, in this method, complete ablation cannot be confirmed by pathology.

Hydatid cysts

All patients with hydatid disease should be considered for percutaneous or surgical treatment because of the risk of life-threatening complications of untreated disease. More complicated cysts are better managed surgically. Treatment of hydatid cysts is associated with 2 technical problems: risk of anaphylaxis from spillage of cyst fluid containing eggs and larvae into the peritoneal cavity and recurrence caused by residual eggs in incompletely removed germinal membranes. To prevent these problems, most surgeons use a technique in which the cyst contents are aspirated and replaced with a hypertonic saline solution to kill residual daughter cysts in the germinal membrane before unroofing and pericystectomy. The goal of the latter procedure is to excise the germinal membrane, leaving the inflammatory and fibrous components of the cyst wall in situ. Attempts to excise the entire cyst wall or to perform formal hepatectomy for hydatid cysts have largely been abandoned because of increased surgical morbidity.

Hepatic abscesses

In general, abscesses are adequately managed by antibiotics and percutaneous drainage. If abscesses persist despite attempted percutaneous drainage, surgical drainage is indicated. Other surgical indications include large cysts at risk of rupture and abscesses not anatomically amenable to percutaneous treatment.

Answer 2

How Common Are Liver Cysts

Answer 3

cysts are generally not serious at all. they are simply fluid filled masses that can grow basically anywhere in your body. they cannot spread and grow. generally no surgery is required because they dont cause problems..but sometimes surgery is needed.. my mom had a cyst in her breast that didnt need surgery or anything..my friend had one in her knee that did need surgery just because it is a joint and was painful, also overian cysts need surgery because they can block pathways and stuff..ive never heard of a cyst on you liver personally, so your doctor has to tell you the treatment you will need. ik that surgery to remove a cyst is not complex and the recovery rate is very fast. hope i helped

Answer 4

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Answer 5

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Answer 6

Unless you have discomfort and or some problems, treatment may not be needed. But keep them under observation.

Answer 7

This is a question for your doctor.