Central Hepatectomy for Hepatic Mesenchymal Hamartoma in Children

Introduction

Hepatic mesenchymal hamartoma (HMH) is the second commonest benign hepatic tumor in children after hemangioma. Typically, it presents as a large benign multicystic liver mass in children younger than 3 years. The natural history of HMH is poorly understood, with some cases undergoing spontaneous regression and others progressing to undifferentiated (embryonal) sarcoma. Most tumors are centrally located in the liver and gradually increase in size, often reaching enormous proportions, making surgical resection challenging and leading some surgeons to advocate a non-radical resection or marsupialization of large centrally located tumors as acceptable management. In the light of recent cytogenetic studies suggesting that HMH may be a neoplasm rather than a hamartoma, complete surgical excision remains the treatment of choice. We report on a parenchyma-sparing resection technique for a centrally located HMH.

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