Introduction: Hemangioma is the most common benign lesion of the liver. It is mostly asymptomatic and may be found incidentally during cross-sectional liver or abdominal imaging. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and clinical characteristics of hepatic hemangioma in an Iranian population.
Materials and methods: This retrospective study was conducted between July and November 2017 in Firoozgar Hospital affiliated to Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. The study population consisted of adult patients (>18 years) referred for transabdominal ultrasonography to ultrasound unit of the hospital.
Results: Totally, 1985 patients were included in the study. There were 1282 women (64.5%) and 703 men (35.4%). A total of 47 hemangiomas were found in 41 patients. The prevalence of hemangioma was 2.04% in our study population. Four patients had more than one hemangioma; all of them were women. Twelve men (1.70%) versus 29 women (2.26%) found to have hemangioma. The mean age of patients with hemangioma was 47.65 ± 14.84 years. Thirty-four patients (82.9%) had hemangioma in their right lobe of the liver whereas seven patients (17.1%) had hemangioma in the left lobe of the liver. The mean diameter of hemangioma was 16.70 ± 8.42 mm. The mean diameter of hemangioma in women was 17.2 ± 9.33 mm and in men was 15.25 ± 4.91 mm (P = 0.495).
Conclusion: Hepatic hemangioma is prevalent in the Iranian population. It is more prevalent among women and in the VII segment of the liver.
Keywords: Computed tomography; hemangioma; ultrasound.