What are dangerous cysts of the liver, how to treat the disease
The liver is one of the main filters of the human body. When toxins enter the bloodstream, this organ makes the consequence of such penetration minimal for the health of the patient.
Due to its active work on cleansing the body, the liver is susceptible to many diseases. One of them is the formation of a cyst. This is a kind of pouch that has walls and contents. What are the cysts of the liver dangerous? Unfortunately, this pathological condition is a fairly common phenomenon, especially among older and middle-aged people. It promotes tumor development 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 you a little later.
The cyst of the liver is formed in 1% of the total population. According to statistics, such education is more susceptible to representatives of the weaker sex. Usually it is found in people 30-50 years old.
What are the cysts of the liver dangerous? Experts argue that such a pathological entity has a benign course. Typically, the cyst is filled with a clear liquid, although in rare cases, its contents may be a jelly-like mass that has a yellow-green color.
Answering the question about what dangerous liver cysts are, one can not help saying that such an education can be localized in different places of the said body. In this case, the sac often reaches a size of more than 15 cm.
It should also be noted that quite often several years after the onset of a single cyst, in view of certain factors, the patient may experience multiple cysts. With this phenomenon, they speak of a complicated disease.
So, what are the cysts of the liver dangerous? If such formations occur, there is a high probability that this pathological condition of the patient will not be limited. Because of the presence of cirrhosis of the liver, cysts in the bile duct, polycystic kidneys and ovaries the course of the disease may worsen. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct a constant examination of all human organs for the presence of new formations.
Classification of the disease
What kind of liver cyst does it have? What is dangerous such a disease? These issues are inextricably linked, since the probable threat to the health and life of the patient depends not only on the size of 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 us consider them in more detail.
1. Non-parasitic cyst
This type of tumor can be:
- false;
- is true.
The first refers to the formation that arose from a traumatic effect, that is, a rupture of the organ. This phenomenon can occur when removing liver abscess or echinococcus. Based on this, the false cyst is divided into traumatic and inflammatory cysts.
As for the true tumor, this is the formation that arose at the stage of intrauterine development. Such a cyst usually arises from the connection of the bile ducts to the bile ducts. The true tumor is detected by accident during ultrasound.
By the way, the latter formation is divided into three more types:
- polycystic;
- is solitary;
- cystic fibrosis.
Let's consider their features right now.
Polycystosis
How is this liver cyst characterized? What is dangerous for a person? In this case we are talking about multiple cysts. It is an innate disease caused by a mutation in the genes.
The size of such formations can be different. Cysts are able to increase throughout the life of the patient. In most people who suffer from polycystic liver, cystic changes in the kidneys, lungs and pancreas are very common. It should also be noted that in some cases because of this disease a person can develop functional liver failure, portal hypertension and varicose veins of the esophagus.
Solitary cyst
What is dangerous solitary cyst on the liver? This education has rounded forms. It can cause the following complications: malignancy, hemorrhage into the abdominal cavity, torsion cysts, rupture, suppuration and hemorrhage into the cyst wall.
Cystofibrosis
Congenital liver cystofibrosis is very common in young children. With this disease, the following complications are usually observed: cirrhosis, portal hypertension and functional liver failure.
2. Parasitic cyst
What is a parasitic cyst of the liver? Than it is dangerous( responses about treatment of this disease will be presented more low) this illness or disease for the person? Depending on the pathogen, this formation has several types:
- echinococcal;
- alveococcus.
It should also be noted that most often this disease is asymptomatic. When it is discovered, the patient can not always remember when he had contact with an animal that could infect him.
Echinococcal species
Most often, this formation occurs in the right lobe of the liver. The appearance of an echinococcal cyst is associated with a cystic or larval stage of development of a ribbon worm( echinococcus), which is called Echinococcus granulosus.
Alveococcal species
Alveococcal formation is also referred to as parasitic cysts. A tumor of this species appears when parasitizing the cestode in the larval stage, which is called Echinococcus multilocularis.
As mentioned above, parasite infestation often occurs when a person contacts a fox, a dog, a wolf or a jackal. Such entities are prone to constant growth. The larger their size, the more likely the risk of developing the following complications: cyst rupture, hemorrhage and bleeding.
Symptoms of the disease
Until a certain time, the cyst of the liver 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;
- body size increase;
- feeling of bursting and heaviness after eating.
Diagnosis
This disease can be detected at random during the ultrasound of the abdominal cavity. Also, the cyst of the liver is often determined by echography. This method of diagnosis can reveal the contents of the tumor-like sac( pus or blood).
With the help of computer and magnetic resonance imaging, as well as scintigraphy of mesenteric arteries and liver, angiography of the celiac trunk, differential diagnosis of the existing formation with hemangioma, metastatic organ damage, small intestinal tumors, gall bladder edema, etc. can be made. If there are doubts, then specialists perform diagnostic laparoscopy.
Methods of treatment
What is a dangerous cyst of the liver and how to treat the disease? We will answer these questions in this article.
If a small cyst is found in a patient, the treatment begins with systematic observation by a gastroenterologist. As for the surgical removal of this formation, it can be shown in complications( for example, with suppuration, rupture and bleeding).It should also be noted that the operations are performed with giant and large cysts( from 10 cm or more), compression of the biliary tract, disorders of the cholus, compression of the portal vein with hypertension( portal), recurrence of the cyst after a puncture and a pronounced clinical symptomatology that worsens the qualitylife of the patient.
Removing the liver cyst - is it dangerous? Experts say that in most cases such operations are successful and without any complications.
In liver formations, surgery does not imply the removal of the cysts. Such operations consist only in puncturing the contents of the bag.
A persistent effect after surgery is achieved with a small cavity size( that is, up to 5-6 cm).
Folk methods and reviews
Advocates of alternative medicine prefer to treat liver cysts not with medication, but with various infusions and decoctions. However, experts say that such methods rarely lead to the desired result. Moreover, with untimely provision of medical care, education can reach large sizes, which is extremely dangerous for the patient's life.