2026 Volume 62 Issue 6 Pages 1007-1013
Purpose: In this study, we aimed to analyze the cases of patients with solitary simple liver cysts diagnosed prenatally at three of our institutions and to consider appropriate treatment strategies based on the patients’ clinical course.
Methods: Patients prenatally diagnosed with solitary simple liver cysts (≥30 mm) at our three institutions over 10 years, from 2013 to 2022, were studied retrospectively.
Results: Six patients, two boys and four girls, were included in this study. The median time of prenatal diagnosis was 31 weeks of gestation (range, 28–38 weeks). The median gestational age was 40 weeks (38–41 weeks), and the median birth weight was 3,302 g (2,826–3,604 g). In all patients, a large unilocular cyst was detected on prenatal fetal and postnatal abdominal ultrasonography images. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination revealed no septations or communication with the biliary duct within the cyst; therefore, the lesions were clinically diagnosed as solitary simple hepatic cysts. Postnatal blood tests did not reveal any abnormalities in the hepatobiliary system in all the patients,and no gastrointestinal or respiratory symptoms were observed. However, laparoscopic hepatic cystectomy was performed on one patient at the age of 47 days because of concerns regarding intra-abdominal organ compression. The other five patients were followed up, and abdominal ultrasound showed that the cysts had shrunk over time and eventually almost disappeared.
Conclusions: Conservative management may be considered for prenatally diagnosed solitary liver cysts in neonates who remain asymptomatic after birth.
