Q: My 36 years old brother has large haemangioma on his right lobe of the liver, which measures 17 x 7 x 6.5 cm in size as per the CT Scan, MRI and ultra sound scan of the liver. He has no drinking or smoking habit. It was detected when he consulted a doctor for chest pain. He feels pain whenever he eats and drinks anything. The doctor says it is a major one and needs lot of discussion to perform surgery as it involves high risk to the patient. What are the treatment options available for the ailment?

A:We are sorry to note that your brother has haemangioma of the liver.

Large haemangiomas (more than 10 cm in size) with significant symptoms require treatment. Your attending surgeon will ensure that the symptoms of pain etc. are due to the haemangioma, since there are other medical conditions that may cause similar symptoms.

For large symptomatic haemangiomas, surgical resection is recommended provided there are no contraindications.

In patients in whom surgery is not possible, the other treatment options include - arterial embolisation, which shrinks the haemangioma, radiofrequency ablation (generally for smaller haemangiomas) and irradiation.

You should discuss this with your surgical gastroenterologist who will advise you regarding appropriate treatment, as well as the cost factor.