Korean J Med.  2013 Mar;84(3):333-340. 10.3904/kjm.2013.84.3.333.

Focal Inflammatory Lesions of the Liver

• Lee HW

• KMID: 1833840
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3904/kjm.2013.84.3.333

Abstract

Focal inflammatory lesions are benign lesions of various etiology reported in numerous anatomic sites. Because of the development of imaging study, most of focal inflammatory lesions were noted incidentally without symptom and sign. Among them, eosinophilic liver disease and inflammatory pseudotumor are relatively important diseases and are associated with a variety of other disease such as parasitic infestations, bacterial and viral infection, allergic conditions, autoimmune disease, and internal malignancies. These are largely self-limiting entities and have favorable prognosis. The terminology of eosinophilic liver disease is not strictly defined and a variety of terms, including focal eosinophilic infiltration, eosinophilic abscess, and eosinophilic granuloma exist histologically. Inflammatory pseudotumor was composed of diffuse infiltration of spindle-shaped cells, myofibroblasts, and mixed inflammatory cells (plasma cells, lymphocytes, and histiocytes), microscopically. Focal inflammatory lesions are difficult to differentiate clinically from malignant tumors, because these show variable imaging findings. Thus, it is important to preoperatively distinguish these lesions from malignancy. Meticulous liver biopsy is frequently needed to make differential diagnosis from malignant tumors and to avoid unnecessary resection.

Keyword

Focal inflammatory lesions; Liver; Eosinophilic liver disease; Inflammatory pseudotumor of the liver

MeSH Terms

Abscess
Autoimmune Diseases
Biopsy
Diagnosis, Differential
Eosinophilic Granuloma
Eosinophils
Granuloma, Plasma Cell
Liver
Liver Diseases
Lymphocytes
Myofibroblasts
Prognosis