The liver is one of the main filters of the human body. When toxins enter the bloodstream, this organ makes the consequence of this penetration minimal for the patient’s health.
Due to its active work to cleanse the body, the liver is prone to many diseases. One of them is the formation of a cyst. This is a kind of bag that has walls and contents. Why are liver cysts dangerous? Unfortunately, this pathological condition is a fairly common phenomenon, especially among older and middle-aged people. It contributes to the development of the tumor and can provoke organ dysfunction, which is fraught with infection of the body and the subsequent death of the patient.
General information
Now you know what a liver cyst is. Whether this disease is dangerous and how it should be treated, we will tell a little lower.
A liver cyst is formed in 1% of the total population. According to statistics, representatives of the weaker sex are more susceptible to such an education. Usually it is found in people 30-50 years old.
Why are liver cysts dangerous? Experts say that such a pathological formation has a benign course. As a rule, the cyst is filled with a clear liquid, although in rare cases, its contents may be a jelly-like mass, which has a yellow-green color.
Answering the question of what are dangerous liver cysts, one cannot but say that such a formation can be localized in different places of the said organ. At the same time, the bag itself often reaches a size of more than 15 cm.
It should also be noted that quite often several years after the appearance of one cyst, due to certain factors, the patient may have multiple cysts. With this phenomenon, they speak of a complicated disease.
So what are dangerous liver cysts? When such formations occur, there is a high probability that the pathological condition of the patient will not be limited to this. Due to the presence of cirrhosis of the liver, cysts in the bile ducts, polycystic kidney and ovary disease can worsen. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct a continuous examination of all human organs for the presence of new formations.
Disease classification
What types of liver cyst? What is the danger of such a disease? These questions are inextricably linked, since the likely threat to the health and life of the patient depends not only on the size of the education, but also on its type. Currently, the following types of cysts are distinguished:
- Non-parasitic.
- Parasitic.
In turn, each presented type of disease is divided into several subtypes. Let's consider them in more detail.
1. Nonparasitic cyst
This type of tumor can be:
The first includes formations that have arisen as a result of traumatic effects, that is, an organ rupture. Such a phenomenon can occur when a liver abscess or echinococcus is removed. Based on this, a false cyst is divided into traumatic and inflammatory.
As for the true tumor, this is a formation that arose at the stage of intrauterine development. Such a cyst usually occurs due to the connection of the bile ducts to the bile ducts. A true tumor is detected by chance during an ultrasound scan.
By the way, the last education is divided into three types:
- polycystic;
- solitary;
- cystofibrosis.
Consider their features right now.
Polycystic
How is such a liver cyst characterized? What is it dangerous for humans? In this case, we are talking about multiple cysts. This is a congenital disease caused by a mutation in the genes.
The size of such formations may be different. Cysts are able to increase throughout the life of the patient. Most people who suffer from polycystic liver disease often have cystic changes in their kidneys, lungs, and pancreas. It should also be noted that in some cases, due to this disease, a person may develop functional liver failure, portal hypertension and varicose veins of the esophagus.
Solitary cyst
What is the danger of a solitary cyst on the liver? This formation has a rounded shape. It can cause the following complications: malignancy, abdominal hemorrhage, cyst torsion, rupture, suppuration, and hemorrhage into the cyst wall.
Cystofibrosis
Congenital liver cystofibrosis is very common in young children. With such a disease, the following complications are usually observed: cirrhosis, portal hypertension and functional liver failure.
2. Parasitic cyst
What is a parasitic liver cyst? What is the danger (reviews on the treatment of this disease will be presented below) is this disease for humans? Depending on the pathogen, this formation has several types:
- echinococcal;
- alveococcal.
It should also be noted that most often such a disease is asymptomatic. When it is detected, the patient cannot always remember when he had contact with an animal that could infect him.
Echinococcal species
Most often, such a formation occurs in the right lobe of the liver. The appearance of an echinococcal cyst is associated with a cystic or larval stage of the development of tapeworm (echinococcosis), which is called Echinococcus granulosus.
Alveococcal species
Alveococcal formation is also referred to as parasitic cysts. A tumor of this species appears when the cestode is parasitized in the larval stage, which is called Echinococcus multilocularis.
As mentioned above, parasite infection most often occurs when a person comes in contact with foxes, dogs, wolves and jackals. Such formations are prone to constant growth. The larger their size, the more likely the risk of developing the following complications: rupture of a cyst, hemorrhage and bleeding.
Symptoms of the disease
Until a certain time, a liver cyst develops asymptomatically. Only after it reaches a significant size, a person can feel:
- shortness of breath
- nausea
- pain in the right hypochondrium;
- diarrhea
- weight loss;
- loss of appetite
- organ enlargement;
- fullness and heaviness after eating.
Diagnostics
The disease in question can be detected randomly during ultrasound of the abdominal cavity. Also, a liver cyst is often determined by ultrasound. This diagnostic method allows you to identify the contents of the tumor-shaped sac (pus or blood).
With the help of computed and magnetic resonance imaging, as well as mesenteric artery and liver scintigraphy, celiac trunk angiography, differential diagnosis of the existing formation with hemangioma, metastatic organ lesions, small intestine tumors, gall bladder dropsy, etc. can be performed. then specialists carry out diagnostic laparoscopy.
Treatment methods
What is dangerous liver cyst and how to treat the disease? We will answer these questions in this article.
If a patient has a small cyst, then treatment begins with a systematic observation by a gastroenterologist. As for the surgical removal of such a formation, it can be indicated for complications (for example, with suppuration, rupture and bleeding). It should also be noted that operations are performed with gigantic and large sizes of cysts (from 10 cm or more), compression of the bile ducts, disruption of the gallbladder, compression of the portal vein with hypertension (portal), relapse of the cyst after puncture and pronounced clinical symptoms, which worsen the quality life of the patient.
Removal of a liver cyst - is it dangerous? Experts say that in most cases, such operations are successful and without any complications.
With formations on the liver, surgical intervention does not imply the removal of abdominal cysts. Such operations consist only in puncture the contents of the pouch.
A lasting effect after surgery is achieved with small cavity sizes (i.e. up to 5-6 cm).
Folk methods and reviews
Proponents of alternative medicine prefer to treat liver cysts not with medications, but with various infusions and decoctions. However, expert reviews report that such methods rarely lead to the desired result. Moreover, with the untimely provision of medical care, education can reach large sizes, which is extremely dangerous for the patient's life.