Patterns and Clinico-Radiological Characteristics of Primary Liver Masses in Children Treated at a Tertiary Referral Hospital, in Ethiopia

Abstract

Background

Liver masses are a cause of morbidity and mortality in children worldwide. Although the patterns and clinical-radiological characteristics of primary liver masses have been studied in developed countries, few studies have been conducted in developing countries. Studying the patterns of liver mass in children helps to improve the outcome of liver masses and to design preventive strategies if the identified risk factors are preventable.

Material and Method

A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted on children who met the inclusion criteria, using a self-administered structured questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. Descriptive and logistic regression analyses were used to assess the determinant factors.

Results

A total of 74 children were included, with most patients being males (60.8%). More than one-third (n = 27) of the participants were between 1 and 4 years of age and the mean age at diagnosis of the liver mass was 4.6 years. The duration of illness at presentation to Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital was between 4 and 8 weeks, in 42% of the patients. The most common presenting symptom was abdominal swelling, accounting for 70.3% (n = 52) of the patients. Benign hepatic mass lesions accounted for 57.5% (n = 42), and 43.2% (n = 32) were malignant liver masses. Most lesions were solitary and involved the right lobe of the liver. The common benign hepatic masses were pyogenic liver abscesses (38.1%), and the most common malignant hepatic masses were hepatoblastomas (78.1%).

Conclusion

Pyogenic liver abscess was the most common benign hepatic mass and hepatoblastoma was the most common malignant hepatic mass in our study. Most lesions were solitary and involved the right lobe. Understanding the patterns of liver masses will help in the early diagnosis and improve treatment outcomes in children with liver masses.

Keywords:

• liver mass
• liver abscess
• hepatoblastoma
• TASH
• Ethiopia

Data Sharing Statement

Data are available on request from the corresponding author.

Ethical Approval

Ethical approval was obtained from the Research and Publication Committee of the Pediatrics and Child Health Department, School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, and College Institutional Review Board (IRB). The study was compiled with the Declaration of Helsinki and the requirement for informed consent was waived because of the anonymous nature of the data. Confidentiality was fully maintained during data collection and analysis.

Acknowledgment

We thank the Department of Pediatrics and Child Health for allowing us to complete this study. We express our deep sense of gratitude and respect to the patients and their attendants, who passed through challenges in their treatment course and disease state.

Disclosure

The authors declare no conflicts of interest in this work.

Additional information

Funding

This study did not receive any funding.