Hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery: hepatic haemangioma: practice question

A General Surgery question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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General Surgery · Hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery: hepatic haemangioma

Sample item

A 45-year-old woman has an asymptomatic 3 cm liver lesion found on ultrasound. Multiphase CT shows peripheral nodular enhancement in the arterial phase with progressive centripetal fill-in. What is the best management?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

A. Reassurance and no further treatment

Cavernous haemangioma is the commonest benign liver tumour. The pattern of peripheral nodular enhancement with centripetal fill-in is diagnostic, so asymptomatic lesions are left alone. Biopsy is avoided because of the bleeding risk, and treatment is reserved for large symptomatic lesions or complications.

Option by option

  • A. Reassurance and no further treatment (correct)

    Correct. A typical asymptomatic haemangioma needs only reassurance.

  • B. Surgical enucleation

    Enucleation is for symptomatic or very large lesions, not for an incidental small one.

  • C. Percutaneous needle biopsy

    Biopsy is unnecessary when imaging is characteristic and carries a bleeding risk in a vascular lesion.

  • D. Hepatic artery embolisation

    Embolisation is not indicated for an asymptomatic stable lesion.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

More General Surgery questions

Questions about this General Surgery question

What is the answer to this General Surgery question?

The best answer is A, Reassurance and no further treatment. Cavernous haemangioma is the commonest benign liver tumour.

Why is "Surgical enucleation" not the answer?

Enucleation is for symptomatic or very large lesions, not for an incidental small one.

Why is "Percutaneous needle biopsy" not the answer?

Biopsy is unnecessary when imaging is characteristic and carries a bleeding risk in a vascular lesion.

Why is "Hepatic artery embolisation" not the answer?

Embolisation is not indicated for an asymptomatic stable lesion.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery: hepatic haemangioma in General Surgery. The pattern of peripheral nodular enhancement with centripetal fill-in is diagnostic, so asymptomatic lesions are left alone. Biopsy is avoided because of the bleeding risk, and treatment is reserved for large symptomatic lesions or complications.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery: hepatic haemangioma?

Learn classic signs and eponyms alongside what they diagnose. Then use the flashcards and the other General Surgery questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.