
PANCREAS,
BILIARY
SYSTEM
AND
LIVER
Fig.
5.55
Fig. 5.53
Multiple
bile
duct
hamartomas.
F/54.
Microscopically these creamy nodules consist
of
proliferations
of
bile ducts.
The
condition
is of no
clinical significance. When
a
liver with this
appearance
is
seen during surgery
for
bowel cancer,
the
surgeon often wonders whether they
are
secondary deposits
of
tumour.
One or two of
them
are
often biopsied
to
check that they
are not
secondaries.
Fig. 5.54
Haemangioma
in the
liver.
M/40. This
was
an
incidental postmortem finding. Occasionally
these haemangiomas
may
bleed,
as in
Figure 5.38,
but
mostly they
are
asymptomatic.
Fig. 5.55 Focal
nodular
hyperplasia.
F/25. This
tumour presented
as an
upper abdominal mass,
and
was
treated
by
local resection. This well
circumscribed mass
in the
liver
is a
benign lesion.
It
is
regarded
as
being
a
hamartoma
and is
distinguished from
a
true adenoma
by the
presence
of
the
central stellate scar, which contains bile
ductules. This
is a
large example
of
FNH.
The
abnormal areas
are
usually multiple
and
smaller than
this one.
Fig. 5.56
Hepatocellular
carcinoma.
M/17. This
is
an
example
of a
large, single lesion.
It was
treated
by
local resection.
The
liver
is not
cirrhotic
and
there
is
no
obvious cause
for the
HCC. Grossly,
the
differential diagnosis
of
this lesion
is
benign
hepatoma
(an
adenoma).
The
final diagnosis
depends
on the
microscopic appearances. Benign
hepatomas
occur
in non
cirrhotic
livers,
and
occur
especially
in
women
of
reproductive
age who are
taking contraceptive medication.
The
most common
presentation
is
with haemorrhage into
the
tumour.
Fig. 5.57
Hepatoblastoma.
F/12 weeks. This
tumour presented
as a
large upper abdominal mass.
It
was
treated
by
partial hepatectomy.
Its cut
surface
shows
a
creamy neoplasm with multiple cystic
areas.
These tumours sometimes secrete endocrine
substances
and
their first presentation
may be
with
1
endocrine abnormalities.
128
Fig.
5.54
Fig.
5.53