Primary hepatic neuroendocrine tumor: A case report and literature review

Primary hepatic neuroendocrine tumors(PHNETs) are extremely rare and difficult to distinguish from other liver tumors, such as hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) and cholangiocarcinoma, based on medical imaging findings. A 70-year-old man was referred for evaluation of liver mass incidentally discovered on abdominal computed tomography. The characteristic finding from dynamic liver magnetic resonance imaging led to a diagnosis of HCC. The patient underwent right hepatectomy. Histopathological and immunohistochemical examination revealed grade 2 neuroendocrine tumor. The postoperative 24-h urinary excretion of 5-hydroxy-indolacetic acid was within the normal range. Further imaging investigations were performed. No other lesions were found making probable the diagnosis of PHNET. This case shows that the diagnosis of PHNET is a medical challenge, requiring differentiation of PHNETs other hepatic masses and exclusion of occult primary neuroendocrine tumors. The diagnosis of PHNET can be ascertained after long term follow-up to exclude another primary origin.

Assessment of scoring systems for acute-on-chronic liver failure at predicting short-term mortality in patients with alcoholic hepatitis

AIM To assess the performance of proposed scores specific for acute-on-chronic liver failure in predicting shortterm mortality among patients with alcoholic hepatitis.METHODS We retrospectively collected data from 264 patients with clinically diagnosed alcoholic hepatitis from January to December 2013 at 21 academic hospitals in Korea. The performance for predicting short-term mortality was calculated for Chronic Liver FailureSequential Organ Failure Assessment(CLIF-SOFA), CLIF Consortium Organ Failure score(CLIF-C OFs), Maddrey'sdiscriminant function(DF), age, bilirubin, international normalized ratio and creatinine score(ABIC), Glasgow Alcoholic Hepatitis Score(GAHS), model for end-stage liver disease(MELD), and MELD-Na.RESULTS Of 264 patients, 32(12%) patients died within 28 d. The area under receiver operating characteristic curve of CLIF-SOFA, CLIF-C OFs, DF, ABIC, GAHS, MELD, and MELD-Na was 0.86(0.81-0.90), 0.89(0.84-0.92), 0.79(0.74-0.84), 0.78(0.72-0.83), 0.81(0.76-0.86), 0.83(0.78-0.88), and 0.83(0.78-0.88), respectively, for 28-d mortality. The performance of CLIF-SOFA had no statistically significant differences for 28-d mortality. The performance of CLIF-C OFs was superior to that of DF, ABIC, and GAHS, while comparable to that of MELD and MELD-Na in predicting 28-d mortality. A CLIF-SOFA score of 8 had 78.1% sensitivity and 79.7% specificity, and CLIF-C OFs of 10 had 68.8% sensitivity and 91.4% specificity for predicting 28-d mortality.CONCLUSION CLIF-SOFA and CLIF-C OF scores performed well, with comparable predictive ability for short-term mortality compared to the commonly used scoring systems in patients with alcoholic hepatitis.

Clinical characteristics and progression of liver abscess caused by toxocara

AIM: To evaluate the clinical characteristics and progression of liver abscess caused by toxocara.METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients with serum Ig G antibody to Toxocara canis and liver abscess diagnosed using abdominal computed tomography between February 2010 and February 2015. Among 84 patients exhibiting serum Ig G antibody to Toxocara canis, 34 patients were diagnosed with liver asbscess and treated with albendazole. A follow-up period of 1 year was conducted. RESULTS: Mean patient age was 53(34-79) years, with 26(76.5%) patients being male. Twenty-one(61.7%) patients were moderate or heavy drinkers, 23(67.6%) patients had a history of eating raw meat or liver and 6(17.6%) patients owned pet dogs or cats. Main patient symptoms consisted of right upper quadrant pain, fever, and fatigue; 18(52.9%) patients, however, presented with no symptoms. Lung involvement was detected in 444(11.7%) patients. The eosinophil count increased in 29(85.3%) patients at initial diagnosis, and decreased in most patients after albendazole treatment. The initial serum Ig E level increased in 25(73.5%) patients, but exhibited various response levels after albendazole treatment. Liver abscess formation improved in all patients.CONCLUSION: The liver abscess was improved with albendazole treatment.