Inflammatory pseudotumors of the liver: Experience of a specialist surgical unit

Background and Aim: To present the experience in management of inflammatory liver pseudotumors from a specialist surgical unit and to review the medical literature on this rare manifestation. Methods: Between 1995 and 2008, four patients were identified with this type of tumor from a total of 108 resected benign liver lesions at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Scotland UK. Two patients presented with liver abscesses, one with liver cystadenoma, and one with hilar cholangiocarcinoma. All four underwent some type of hepatectomy. We report these cases and review the literature. Results: All four patients survived the operation with some morbidity. Conclusions: Inflammatory liver pseudotumors are a difficult entity to identify. Resection should be considered because it may be impossible to rule out malignancy by other means.