Treatment of congenital liver cysts. A surgical technique tailored through a 35-year experience.

Background: The most important aims of the treatment of CLC are long-term relief of symptoms and elimination of cysts. Treatment of choice is yet debated.

Methods: Data of patients treated for CLC during a 35-years experience were retrospectively analyzed. Variables analyzed were: age, sex, hepatic cyst location, cyst diameter, symptoms, surgical procedure, short and long-term outcomes.

Results: We examined 49 consecutive patients treated for CLC (mean follow-up, 76 months). The study was divided into two periods: 1975-1999 and 2000-2010. Procedures performed in the first period were needle aspiration and sclerotherapy (n= 6), hepatic resections (9), cystojejunostomy (4), open unroofing (10), and laparoscopic unroofing (8). Omentopexy within the residual cystic cavity was associated with seven open and two laparoscopic unroofing cases. Rates of morbidity and recurrence were 23.5% and 44.1%, respectively. One patient died in the peri-operative period. Procedures performed in the second period were open unroofing (9), laparoscopic unroofing (5), and hepatic resection (1). Omentopexy was associated with all open procedures and two laparoscopic procedures. Overall morbidity in this group was 16.6%, and recurrence occurred in one patient (6.7%).

Conclusions: Cyst unroofing and omentopexy is a safe and highly effective procedure for the treatment of CLC. Laparoscopy is confirmed as the procedure of choice except for cases in which the cysts are in the posterior right liver, where a wide mobilization of the liver is necessary.