Cystic Disease of the Liver

Cystic disease of the liver is a rare disease that can take several forms and occurs when cysts develop in and around the liver.

your quick guide to this page

what is cystic disease of the liver?: Learn what defines cystic disease of the liver and what its general consequences are.
fast facts: Get a quick overview of cystic diseases of the liver through statistics and bite-sized facts.
symptoms: Learn about the symptoms of cystic diseases of the liver, how to recognize them, and what to do if you experience them.
lifestyle impacts: Find out how cystic disease of the liver impacts your lifestyle.
what can I do?: Discover management and treatment strategies for cystic disease of the liver.
additional resources: Find useful links, education, articles, recipes and more that can help with cystic diseases of the liver.

what is cystic disease of the liver?

Cystic disease of the liver is rare and can take several forms. Cysts (a small fluid-filled growth that develops within the liver tissue) in the main trunk of the biliary tree are called choledochal cysts. Cysts that occur in the small branches of bile ducts within the liver are referred to as Caroli’s syndrome. The other cysts in the liver that do not occur in the biliary tree are referred to as polycystic liver disease.

What is Caroli’s syndrome?

Caroli’s syndrome is a rare condition present at birth that causes the formation of fluid-filled cysts due to the parts of the liver’s bile ducts being abnormally dilated or narrowed.

What is congenital hepatic fibrosis?

Congenital hepatic fibrosis occurs when scar tissue forms around the small bile ducts in the liver causing the liver to be hardened and inflamed leading to increased pressure. The increase in pressure forces blood to reroute through a new vessel called varies which are prone to rupturing leading to bleeding.

What is polycystic liver disease?

Polycystic liver disease is an inherited condition causing fluid-filled cysts to form within the liver but rarely affects the functioning of the liver.

symptoms

Cystic disease of the liver usually does not have any symptoms. However, if the cysts are large, become infected, rupture, or cause other complications symptoms can become present.

Some symptoms patients may experience include:

abdominal discomfort or bloating
Nausea or vomiting
Early satiety (feeling full quickly)

If cysts become large enough, patients are able to feel them in their abdomen.

lifestyle impacts

Since cystic disease of the liver usually has no symptoms and likely will not impair your liver functioning, their are no lifestyle impacts for these patients with cysts in and around their liver. Although unlikely, liver cysts can lead to rare complications like liver failure and liver cancer therefore regular check ups with your doctor to monitor liver health is recommended.

what can I do?

prevention

The cause of cystic diseases of the liver are unknown although they can be present at birth and tend to grow as an individual ages.

diagnosis

Imaging Tests: Imaging tests such as ultrasounds, CT (CAT scans), and MRI’s are often used to look at the condition of the liver.
Blood tests: Blood tests are often measure the level of enzymes created by the liver to assess liver functioning. A blood test can also be used to determine if a parasite was the cause of the liver cyst.

treatment

Most times cysts in and around the liver do not need to be treated since they rarely cause symptoms and affect liver functioning. If cysts become large, painful, or begin to impact liver functioning they can be surgically removed.