Background/aims: The aim of this investigation was to describe the clinical features, diagnosis, pathologic characteristics, and optimal surgical management for patients with mucious hepatobiliary cystadenomas (HBCAs).
Methodology: From 2005 to 2008, our institutional experience for treating six patients with HBCAs was reviewed and reported. The clinical features, radiological characteristics and management were analyzed retrospectively.
Results: Two of six patients were respectively misdiagnosed as hydatid cyst and simple cyst pre-operatively. The histopathologic examination showed HBCA in four patients and hepatobiliary cystadenocaiconoma (HBCAC) in two patients. Three HBCA patients and two HBCAC patients had undergone total excision treatment. In a median of 37.5 months follow-up visit, four have no evidence of recurrence and one HBCAC patient experienced a recurrence 31 months after surgery. Another HBCA patient who underwent fenestration initially with subsequent recurrence, died 15 months after the therapy.
Conclusions: Owing to its potential for malignant transformation into HBCAC, along with the consideration that it tends to recur after incomplete resection, radical excision treatment with adequate surgical margins is regarded as the most suitable mode of therapy for the HBCA.