Laparoscopic Fenestration of a Simple Hepatic Cyst

CY Chan, CHJ Tan, SP Chew, CH Teh
Correspondence: Dr John Tan, jtan@md-sh.com

ABSTRACT
Hepatic cysts are usually asymptomatic, most being detected incidentally during imaging. Distinction has to be made between a simple hepatic cyst from more sinister types such as a parasitic cyst and a cyst occurring as part of a neoplastic process. Intervention in a simple hepatic cyst is only indicated when they become symptomatic or when they grow at a rapid rate. Surgery is the mainstay of treatment, with laparoscopic intervention becoming more and more widely accepted. We present here the first case of laparoscopic fenestration of liver cyst performed in our hospital and also review the literature on this modality of treatment.

Keywords: hepatic cyst, laparoscopic fenestration
Singapore Med J 2001; 42(6): 268-270