Surgical Management of Ciliated Hepatic Foregut Cyst

The increased use of high-sensitivity abdominal imaging has resulted in a higher rate of incidentally found liver lesions [1]. Ciliated hepatic foregut cyst (CHFC) is a rare, benign, cystic lesion of the liver with unique pathogenesis: It develops secondary to embryonic foregut cell migration from the dorsal bud, which becomes the esophagus and trachea, into the ventral bud that develops into the liver. The inner epithelial layer produces a thick mucoid content resulting in an increased density on radiologic imaging, which makes differentiation from solid liver tumors challenging. It is important for hepatologists and gastroenterologists to consider CHFC in the differential diagnosis of atypical liver lesions, as CHFC carries a risk of transformation into squamous cell carcinoma. A suspicion of CHFC is therefore an indication for surgical resection. We investigated the management of CHFC in a large volume tertiary hepatobiliary center. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.