A Rare Case of Solitary Primary and Recurrent Hepatic Epithelioid Hemangioendothelioma Undergoing Repeat Liver Resections

TL;DR

A rare case of liver tumor called epithelioid hemangioendothelioma was successfully treated with multiple liver surgeries.

Contribution

This paper presents a rare clinical case of HEHE successfully managed with repeat liver resections.

Findings

A patient with solitary primary HEHE underwent successful liver resection.

The patient experienced a solitary recurrence, which was also successfully treated with another liver resection.

The patient remained recurrence-free for 9 months after the second surgery.

Abstract

Hepatic epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (HEHE) is a rare vascular tumor. Treatment strategy remains controversial because of its rarity. Liver resection is considered as the optimal treatment for solitary HEHE, while a small subset of patients have a solitary tumor. We present the rare case of a patient with solitary primary HEHE who experienced solitary recurrence following liver resection and underwent subsequent liver resection.

A 55-year-old man was referred to our department with a suspected intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, based on imaging findings. Anatomic liver resection of segment 8 was performed, and the tumor was confirmed to be HEHE from the pathological findings. Fifteen months later, a solitary recurrence developed in segment 7. After a 5-month observation period, partial liver resection was performed, and the tumor was consistent with recurrent HEHE. The postoperative course was uneventful, and the patient remained recurrence-free for 9 months following the procedure.

Repeat liver resection may be a feasible treatment option for patients with solitary recurrent HEHE.

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