The liver is a large organ in the upper-right portion of the abdomen that is responsible for making clotting proteins and cleansing toxins from the blood, in addition to other functions. Sometimes the surface of the liver develops small fluid-filled growths called cysts. Although these cysts generally pose no medical threat, certain kinds of cysts can cause serious complications.
Frequency
Liver cysts are fairly common, according to the Cleveland Clinic. An estimated 5 percent of people will have a liver cyst at some point in time, and the cysts may actually be present from birth. The Cleveland Clinic notes that these fluid-filled structures are generally only diagnosed as an incidental finding on an abdominal CT scan or ultrasound, because less than 5 percent of all liver cysts ever cause any symptoms.
Symptoms
A typical liver cyst will only cause symptoms if the cyst becomes particularly large, the Mayo Clinic explains. Patients with large liver cysts may feel pain or discomfort in the upper-right portion of their abdomen. The Cleveland Clinic notes that in some cases bleeding occurs into the cyst, resulting in sudden sharp pain in the upper-right portion of the abdomen.
Treatment
In the event that a liver cyst requires treatment, surgical treatment may be necessary. Simple drainage of the cyst, according to the University of Southern California's Department of Surgery, will not fix the problem because the cyst generally will refill in a short period of time. Instead, laparoscopic surgery should be performed to remove a portion of the cyst's wall. This allows the cyst to drain into the abdominal cavity, where the fluid will then be absorbed by the body.
Echinococcus
One rare cause of liver cysts is infection with the parasite Echinococcus, according to Medline Plus. This organism gets into the body when food that has been contaminated with eggs is eaten. The organism can then travel to the liver, where it will form a cyst. Treatment of this type of cyst requires sterilization of the cyst with an injection of alcohol before the cyst is removed. Otherwise, the cyst can rupture during the removal procedure, causing the parasite to be dispersed throughout the abdominal cavity.
Cystic Tumor
Cystic tumors are small growths on the liver that can become cancerous over time, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Although these growths are similar to simple liver cysts, both in their appearance and symptoms, they can be more complicated to treat. Cystic tumors in the liver must be removed using open surgery because they can potentially spread to other tissues. If all of the tumor and some of the surrounding liver tissue is removed, the risk of recurrence is fairly low, the Cleveland Clinic explains.
