Abstract
First Department of Surgery, Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine*, Gifu University School of Medicine female, who had a history of cholecystectomy 12 years before, was diagnosed to have a hepatic tumor by abdominal US. The tumor revealed solid pattern and not homogenous by abdominal CT and US. Aspiration cytology guided by US, selective celiac angiography, and tumor markers suggested no malignancy.
Since the patient had a residual stone in the common bile duct and liver dysfunction, choledocholithotomy was carried out. Small hen's egg-sized tumor was found in the left lateral segment of the liver, which was prominent to the abdominal cavity. It was resected with liver tissue. The resected specimen revealed thickly encapsulated granuloma, which consisted of fibrous foreign bodies and central necrosis. Pathologically, fiber fragment surrounded by foreign body giant cells were seen.
Retained sponges usually detected as a cystic tumor, and such granuloma formation is relatively rare. Granuloma caused by retained sponges should be remembered to have a difficulty in diagnosing.
