[Hepatocellular adenomas and pregnancy]

Abstract

Hepatocellular adenomas are benign liver tumours which are mostly seen in young women. When women with such tumours attempt to become pregnant, they require special attention because of the risks of hormone-induced growth and spontaneous rupture of the tumour, which are caused by increased levels of steroid hormones during pregnancy. We present three patients with hepatocellular adenomas who were either pregnant or wished to become pregnant. These cases describe the complexity of the situation. The size of the hepatocellular adenoma increased during pregnancy in patient A and contrarily remained stable in patient B. Patient C was advised to not get pregnant before an intervention because of the tumour's central location within the liver. We also describe the general clinical presentation and treatment of patients with a hepatocellular adenoma.