Skip to main content
Log in

Primary mesenchymal liver tumors: radiological spectrum, differential diagnosis, and pathologic correlation

  • Pictorial Essay
  • Published:
Abdominal Imaging Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

With the exception of hemangioma, benign or malignant primary mesenchymal tumors of the liver are seldom encountered. The aim of this review was to discuss the clinical, histopathological, and imaging features of liver hemangiomas (cavernous, capillary, and sclerosed types), liver lipoma, angiomyolipoma, mesenchymal hamartoma, neurofibroma, infantile hemangioendothelioma, epithelioid hemangioendothelioma, myofibroblastoma, angiosarcoma, malignant fibrous histiocytoma, undifferentiated embryonal sarcoma, and nested stromal tumor. In most of these rare liver tumors, radiological findings obtained by cross-sectional imaging may reflect the characteristic pathologic features required for differential diagnosis; however, definitive diagnosis should be confirmed using histopathological examination.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13
Fig. 14
Fig. 15
Fig. 16

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Prabhu VR, Burt AR (2007) Pathology of liver tumors. Surgery (Oxford) 25(1):10–15

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Burt AD, Portmann BC, Ferrell LB (2006) MacSween’s pathology of the liver. 5th edn. London: 761–814

  3. Parikh T, Drew SJ, Lee VS, et al. (2008) Focal liver lesion detection and characterization with diffusion-weighted MR imaging: comparison with standard breath-hold T2-weighted imaging. Radiology 246(3):812–822

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Malagari K, Drakopoulos S, Brountzos E, et al. (2001) Mesenchymal tumors of the liver. Clin Liver Dis 5:219–257

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Fernandez-Pineda I, Cabello-Laureano R (2014) Differential diagnosis and management of liver tumors in infants. World J Hepatol 27:486–495

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Kyoung AK, Kyoung WK, Se JJ, et al. (2006) Unusual Mesenchymal Liver Tumors in Adults: radiologic - Pathologic Correlation. AJR 187:481–489

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Lee J, Sagel S, Stanley R, Heiken J (2006) Computed Body Tomography with MRI Correlation; Philadelphia, 4th Edition; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins: 829-912

  8. Jang IJ, Kim TK, Lim HK, et al. (2003) Hepatic Hemangioma: atypical Appearances on CT, MR Imaging, and Sonography. AJR 180:135–141

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Caseiro-Alves F, Brito J, Araujo AE, et al. (2007) Liver hemangioma: common and uncommon findings and how to improve the differential diagnosis. Eur Radiol 17:1544–1554

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Vilgrain V, Boulos L, Vullierme MP, et al. (2000) Imaging of atypical hemangiomas of the liver with pathologic correlation. RadioGraphics 20:379–397

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Trillaud H, Bruel JM, Valette PJ, et al. (2009) Characterization of focal liver lesions with SonoVue-enhanced sonography: international multicenter-study in comparison to CT and MRI. World J Gastroenterol 14:3748–3756

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Szentpali K, Petri A, Olah T, et al. (2000) Lipoma of the liver: a differential-diagnostic problem. Langenbecks Arch Surg 385:31–33

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Basaran C, Karcaaltincaba M, Akata D, et al. (2005) Fat-containing lesions of the liver: cross-sectional imaging findings with emphasis on MRI. AJR 184:1103–1110

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Ahmadi T, Itai Y, Takahashi M, et al. (1998) Angiomyolipoma of the liver: significance of CT and MR dynamic study. Abdom Imagin 23:520–526

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Stringer MD, Alizai NK (2005) Mesenchymal hamartoma of the liver: a systematic review. J Pediatr Surg 40:1681–1690

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Kim SH, Kim WS, Cheon JE, et al. (2007) Radiological spectrum of hepatic mesenchymal hamartoma in children. Korean J Radiol 8:498–505

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Malagari K, Drakopoulos S, Brountzos E, et al. (2001) Plexiform neurofibroma of the liver: findings on mr imaging, angiography, and CT portography. AJR 176:493–495

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Tirumani SH, Shanbhogue AK, Vikram R, Prasad SR, Menias CO (2014) Imaging of the porta hepatis: spectrum of disease. Radiographics 34:73–92

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Chen TC, Kuo WR, Chai CY, Juan KH (1991) Huge plexiform neurofibroma of the head and liver—case report. Gaoxiong Yi Xue Ke Xue Za Zhi. 7:650–656

  20. Selby DM, Stocker JT, Waclawiw MA, Hitchcock CL, Ishak KG (1994) Infantile hemangioendothelioma of the liver. Hepatology 20:39–45

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Kim EH, Koh KN, Park M, et al. (2011) Clinical features of infantile hepatic hemangioendothelioma. Korean J Pediatr 54:260–266

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Earnest F, Johnson C (2006) Hepatic Epithelioid Hemangioendothelioma. Radiology 2006(240):295–298

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Paolantonio P, Laghi A, Vanzulli A, et al. (2014) MRI of Hepatic Epithelioid Hemangioendothelioma. J Magn Reson Imaging 40:552–558

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Lyburn ID, Torreggiani WC, Harris AC, et al. (2003) Hepatic epithelioid hemangioendothelioma: sonographic, CT, and MR imaging appearances. AJR 180:1359–1364

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Ponteferrada A, Salcedo M, Matilla A, et al. (2005) Heterogeneidad clínica y evolutiva del hemangioendotelioma epietelioide hepático. Gastroenterol hepatol 28:321–325

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Sürer E, Bozova S, Gökhan GA, Gürkan A, Elpek GO (2009) Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor of the liver: a case report. Turk J Gastroenterol 20:129–134

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Fukuya T, Honda H, Matsumata T, et al. (1994) Diagnosis of inflammatory pseudotumor of the liver: value of CT. AJR 163:1087–1091

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Mark SP, Richard LB, Sheila CR (2000) Hepatic Angiosarcoma: findings on multiphasic contrast-enhanced helical CT do not mimic hepatic hemangioma. AJR 175:165–170

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Koyama T, Fletcher JG, Johnson CD, et al. (2002) Primary hepatic angiosarcoma: findings at CT and MR imaging. Radiology 222:667–673

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Wunderbaldinger P, Schima W, Harisinghani M, Saini S (1999) Primary malignant fibrous histiocytoma of the liver: cT and MR findings. AJR 173:244

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Cong Z, Gong J (2011) Primary malignant fibrous histiocytoma of the liver: cT findings in five histopathological proven patients. Abdom Imaging 36:552–556

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Yu JS, Kim KW, Kim CS, et al. (1999) Primary malignant fibrous histiocytoma of the liver: imaging features of five surgically confirmed cases. Abdom Imaging 24:386–391

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Buetow PC, Buck JL, Pantongrag-Brown L, et al. (1997) Undifferentiated (embryonal) sarcoma of the liver: pathologic basis of imaging findings in 28 cases. Radiology 203:779–783

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Ros PR, Olmsted WW, Dachman AH, et al. (1986) Undifferentiated embryonal sarcoma of the liver: radiologic-pathologic correlation. Radiology 161:141–145

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Makhlouf HR, Abdul-Al HM, Wang G, Goodman ZD (2009) Calcifying nested stromal-epithelial tumors of the liver: a clinicopathologic, immunohistochemical, and molecular genetic study of 9 cases with a long-term follow-up. Am J Surg Pathol 33:976–983

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Heerema-McKenney A, Leuschner I, Smith N, Sennesh J, Finegold MJ (2005) Nested stromal epithelial tumor of the liver: six cases of a distinctive pediatric neoplasm with frequent calcifications and association with cushing syndrome. Am J Surg Pathol 29:10–20

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mustafa Harman.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Harman, M., Nart, D., Acar, T. et al. Primary mesenchymal liver tumors: radiological spectrum, differential diagnosis, and pathologic correlation. Abdom Imaging 40, 1316–1330 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00261-014-0268-9

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00261-014-0268-9

Keywords

Navigation