[The incidence of focal liver lesions in patients with colorectal carcinoma]. / Häufigkeit herdförmiger Leberläsionen bei Patienten mit einem kolorektalen Karzinom.

ABSTRACT

The preoperative sonographic findings in 166 patients with confirmed colorectal carcinomas were analysed to determine the frequency of focal liver lesions. In 15 patients liver metastases were found at the first examination and in a further 16 patients they were detected subsequently. Homogeneous high-intensity echoes were found in only one patient. Cysts occurred in 13 and haemangiomas in 11 patients. The latter showed solitary lesions which exceeded 25 mm in only one patient and otherwise measured between 6 mm and 15 mm. Focal abnormalities of fat distribution were found in 12 patients. Even in a tumor patient, the first differential diagnosis of a solitary, homogeneous liver lesion of less than 2 cm is a hemangioma and further investigation is mandatory.