Case Report
Copyright ©2012 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Surg. Aug 27, 2012; 4(8): 199-202
Published online Aug 27, 2012. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.v4.i8.199
Laparoscopic resection of a giant exophytic liver haemangioma with the laparoscopic Habib 4× radiofrequency device
Metesh Acharya, Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos, Premjithlal Bhaskaran, Charis Kyriakides, Madhava Pai, Nagy Habib
Metesh Acharya, Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos, Premjithlal Bhaskaran, Charis Kyriakides, Madhava Pai, Nagy Habib, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, London W12 OHS, United Kingdom
Author contributions: Acharya M, Panagiotopoulos N, Bhaskaran P, Kyriakides C, Pai M and Habib N contributed equally to the conception, design and drafting of the manuscipt, and approved the final version to be published.
Correspondence to: Metesh Acharya, MBBS, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London W12 0HS, United Kingdom. metesh.acharya@doctors.org.uk
Telephone: +44-20-83833937 Fax: +44-20-83833212
Received: June 11, 2012
Revised: July 29, 2012
Accepted: August 2, 2012
Published online: August 27, 2012
Abstract

Haemangiomas are the most common solitary benign neoplasm of the liver with an incidence ranging from 5% to 20%. Although usually small and asymptomatic, they may reach considerable proportions and rarely give rise to life-threatening complications. Surgical intervention is required for incapacitating symptoms, established complications, and diagnostic uncertainty. The resection of haemangiomas demands meticulous surgical technique, owing to their high vascularity and the concomitant risk of intra-operative haemorrhage. Laparoscopic resection of giant haemangiomas is even more challenging, and has only been reported twice. We here report the case of a giant 10 cm liver haemangioma which was successfully resected laparoscopically using the laparoscopic HabibTM 4×, a bipolar radiofrequency device, without clamping major vessels and with minimal blood loss. Transfusion of blood or blood products was not required. The patient had an uneventful recovery and was asymptomatic at 7-mo follow-up.

Keywords: Giant, Haemangioma, Habib™ 4×, Laparoscopic, Liver resection