Editorial
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Hepatol. May 27, 2024; 16(5): 667-670
Published online May 27, 2024. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v16.i5.667
Hepatic pseudotumor: A diagnostic challenge
Arghya Samanta, Moinak Sen Sarma
Arghya Samanta, Moinak Sen Sarma, Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow 226014, India
Author contributions: Samanta A performed the literature review and drafted the manuscript; Sen Sarma M performed the literature review and critically reviewed the manuscript; All authors approved the final version of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare no conflict of interest.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Moinak Sen Sarma, MBBS, MD, Adjunct Associate Professor, Doctor, Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Raebareli Road, Lucknow 226014, India. moinaksen@yahoo.com
Received: December 26, 2023
Revised: March 10, 2024
Accepted: April 16, 2024
Published online: May 27, 2024
Processing time: 147 Days and 23.8 Hours
Abstract

Hepatic pseudotumors are rare lesions of unknown origin, characterized by the proliferation of fibrous connective tissue and inflammatory cell infiltrates. They mimic malignant lesions clinically, and radiologically, given their non-specific clinical and imaging features. The pathophysiology of hepatic pseudotumor is incompletely understood and there are no standardized criteria for diagnosis. Pseudotumors have been reported to develop in various organs in the body with the lung and liver being the most common site. Hepatic pseudotumors develop in patients with underlying triggers of liver inflammation and injury, including infections, autoimmune liver diseases, bile duct injury, or surgery. Hepatic pseudotumors respond well to conservative treatment with antibiotics, and steroids and some may regress spontaneously, thus avoiding unnecessary resection. This condition is rewarding to treat. It is important to recognize pseudotumor as a distinct clinical entity and include it in the differential of liver masses with atypical imaging features.

Keywords: Hepatic pseudotumor, Infection, Stroglyloides, Hepatic resection

Core Tip: Hepatic pseudotumors may mimic malignant lesions clinically and radiologically and often result in unnecessary invasive procedures. Both clinicians and pathologists should consider this differential in patients with hepatic mass lesions, especially if the patient has a clinical history of infection or injury of the biliary tree and/or hepatic parenchyma.