Long term follow up after resection emphasizes the role of surgery in Primary Hepatic Epithelioid Hemangioendothelioma

Arianeb Mehrabi; Katrin Hoffmann; Karl Heinz Weiss; Carolin Mogler; Peter Schemmer; Markus W Büchler; Ingo Alldinger

doi:10.1016/j.amsu.2016.03.002

Long term follow up after resection emphasizes the role of surgery in Primary Hepatic Epithelioid Hemangioendothelioma

Ann Med Surg (Lond). 2016 Mar 10:11:1-4. doi: 10.1016/j.amsu.2016.03.002. eCollection 2016 Nov.

Authors

Arianeb Mehrabi¹, Katrin Hoffmann¹, Karl Heinz Weiss², Carolin Mogler³, Peter Schemmer¹, Markus W Büchler¹, Ingo Alldinger¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of General, Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, University Hospital Heidelberg, Germany.
² Department of Gastroenterology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Germany.
³ Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Germany.

Abstract

Background: Primary Hepatic Epithelioid Hemangioendothelioma is an extremely rare tumor of vascular origin.

Patients: In this work we present clinical data and long term results of eight patients who were surgically treated in our institution. Liver transplantation was performed in five patients (four cadaveric and one living related) and major liver resection in three patients. Three patients are alive with recurrent tumor. After a median follow-up of 100 months (48-266) all patients are alive.

Conclusions: Only surgery can provide cure in HEH. If the extent of the disease prohibits primary resection liver transplantation might offer the most valuable option.

Keywords: Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma; Liver; Surgery; Transplantation.