Hepatic Splenosis Diagnosed as Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Report of a Case

We report one case of splenosis. A 43-year-old male patient was referred to our hospital because of a hepatic mass. The hepatic lesion was incidentally found during an annual ultrasonographic follow-up since the patient was a known chronic hepatitis B carrier for the previous 10 years. Surgical records revealed a history of splenectomy in conjunction with a blunt abdominal trauma, which the patient had sustained 20 years prior to this admission. On abdominal computed tomography scanning, a 3.5-cm sized focal bulging mass was noted in segment 6 of the liver. An inferior phrenic artery angiogram showed a hepatic tumor and the patient was treated by chemoembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma. A partial resection of the liver with a portion of the diaphragm was done after the transcatheter arterial chemoembolization procedure. A pathologic examination revealed splenosis within the hepatic parenchyme. Received: February 20, 2001 / Accepted: September 11, 2001