Did you know your liver is about the size of a football? It’s one of the largest organs in the human body, clocking in around three pounds.
Anything that takes up that much space in your body is very important. The liver performs hundreds of vital tasks to keep your body healthy and Vivanteliving.com, from processing nutrients to filtering out waste and harmful substances like alcohol or medication.
When you experience issues with your liver, you’ll know about it right away.
So what is liver hemangioma? Liver hemangioma is one of the few issues with your liver that you’re likely not to notice, as it doesn’t cause symptoms.
Liver hemangioma is often discovered during unrelated tests or procedures, and even though, most often don’t require treatment. Still, it’s useful to know about what they are, and how you can treat and prevent them anyways.
Keep reading our liver hemangioma guide below to learn all about this disease.
Liver Hemangioma Explained
Liver hemangioma is a noncancerous tumor that develops most often on the surface of the liver. It can also develop inside the liver. It’s a messy, tangled collection of blood vessels.
Most of the time, the tumor is very small. In some rare cases, it can grow to be quite large. Liver hemangiomas almost never cause symptoms, unless they start to get big.
If the area near your liver suffers an injury, there’s a chance you could experience symptoms related to your hemangiomas, such as pain in your chest, vomiting, nausea, or a lack of appetite.
Because they don’t cause any issues, nor increase your risk of cancers, doctors usually don’t require treatment. They are fine to leave on your liver so that they don’t have to perform surgery and increase the risk of damage to your liver.
Doctors believe that liver hemangioma is genetic, and can be passed down to babies. In the rare event that a liver hemangioma developed in an infant, treatment is advised since risks are much higher.
What Is Liver Hemangioma Treatment Like?
So what should you do if you suspect you have a liver hemangioma and want it removed? If it isn’t causing symptoms, your doctor may just advise regular monitoring, to ensure it’s not growing or causing any harm.
Liver hemangioma treatment typically involves the surgical removal of the hemangioma, or of the affected area of the liver. Or to prevent further growth, your doctor may tie off the artery that supplies blood to the hemangioma, since blood flow promotes growth.
Otherwise, there are certain medications that have been shown to control the growth of a hemangioma, which is especially important in treatment for infants.
A Healthy Liver Is a Happy Body
So what is liver hemangioma? It’s a non-cancerous tumor that develops in or on the liver. It usually stays very small, doesn’t produce any symptoms, and often goes untreated, since it poses very little risk.
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