TURKISH JOURNAL OF ONCOLOGY 2009 , Vol 24 , Num 4
Radiological findings of incidental hepatic lipoma
Yonca ANIK, Safiye Sanem DERELİ BULUT
Department of Radiology, Kocaeli University Faculty of Medicine, Kocaeli, Turkey A 58-year-old man was admitted with nonspecific abdominal pain. Physical examination and laboratory findings were in normal limits. Well-demarcated homogeneous hyperechoic lesion of the liver was delineated on abdominal ultrasonography (US) imaging. Fat content was clearly demonstrated on computerized tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that were performed to clarify the nature of the lesion, and hepatic lipoma was diagnosed based on radiological findings. Hepatic lipoma is an extremely rare benign tumor of the liver. It is usually an asymptomatic lesion diagnosed incidentally. On US, it is seen as a well-circumscribed, round- or ovalshaped, homogeneously hyperechoic, peripherally located lesion, which is not distinguishable from other hyperechoic lesions like hemangioma or metastasis. Doppler US does not provide additional information. Differential diagnosis is especially important in oncology patients; thus, further imaging techniques should be performed. CT and MRI are helpful to identify its pure fat content, preventing biopsy requirement. Radiological findings including US, CT and MRI in a 58-yearold man admitted for abdominal sonography with incidental hepatic lipoma are presented in this paper. Keywords : Computerized tomography; hepatic lipoma; magnetic resonance imaging; ultrasonography