Open Medicine (Dec 2015)

Our experience of liver Epithelioid Hemangioendothelioma: from a misdiagnosis to liver transplantation with long term follow-up

  • Giuliani Antonio,
  • Amato Bruno,
  • Marsilia Giuseppina Marino,
  • Tafuri Domenico,
  • Ceriello Antonio,
  • Santaniello Walter,
  • Sodano Loredana,
  • Rocca Aldo

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1515/med-2015-0086
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10, no. 1

Abstract

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Malignant Hepatic Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (HEHE) is an uncommon vascular tumor of intermediate malignant potential. HEHE is a rare tumor and it is difficult to diagnose for surgeons, hepatologists, radiologists and pathologists. So, misdiagnosis with a delay of the treatment is not uncommon. We describe a case of a young woman with a diagnosis of HEHE made 6 years after the first evidence of liver mass with a very long term follow-up after surgical treatment. She had two diagnoses of Hepatocellurar carcinoma (HCC) and a diagnosis of Cholangiocarcinoma after three different fine needle biopsies. After clinical observation, a new laparoscopic core biopsy was performed. In a first time approach, considering clinical and radiological patterns, a diagnosis of Budd-Chiari Syndrome was finally made. For that the patient underwent an orthotopicliver transplantation (OLTx). The surgical sample histological analysis allowed a definitive diagnosis of HEHE. At last, at follow up 7 years after three OLTx the patient is still alive and in good health with no evidence of recurrence.

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