J Korean Soc Emerg Med.  2003 Aug;14(3):325-328.

A Child with an Acute Abdomen due to a Ruptured Hepatoblastoma

• Jin HC
• Oh SC
• Ryu SY
• Kim HY

Abstract

A hepatoblastoma is the most common liver tumor in children between 6 months to 3 years of age. It is a rare malignancy of the liver with an incidence of 0.7 to 1 case per 1 million children under 15 years of age in Western countries. Males are more affected. Patients usually have normal liver function test, but have high serum levels of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), which is a sensitive diagnostic marker. They usually present with abdominal distension or an asymptomatic abdominal mass. Rarely, patients with a hepatoblastoma show an acute abdominal emergency which is not typical for the disease process. The management of a ruptured hepatocellular carcinoma provides guidance for diagnosis and treatment of a hepatoblastoma because the incidence of hepatoblastoma is low. We report a child who presented abdominal pain and distension with the diagnosis of a ruptured hepatoblastoma.

Keyword

Hepatoblastoma

MeSH Terms

Abdomen, Acute*
Abdominal Pain
alpha-Fetoproteins
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular
Child*
Diagnosis
Emergencies
Hepatoblastoma*
Humans
Incidence
Liver
Liver Function Tests
Male
alpha-Fetoproteins