Giant liver cyst that seems to be refilling

Digestive health
1

I had a giant liver cyst that was drained via laparoscopic deroofing in November 2017. (Over 3 litres of fluid removed.) Initially I was over the moon because all seemed to be well & I was assured that it was highly unlikely that it would fill up again. A biopsy showed no signs of cancer. However, my original symptoms - backache, tiredness & difficulty in fully inflating my lungs - have returned & I now feel that I'm back to square one. In addition I have little appetite and abdominal discomfort, neither of which I experienced previously. I'm having a CT scan in a couple of weeks to see what is going on & will then have to have an out patient's appointment to discuss a course of action.

So...my question is....has anyone else suffered a refilled hepatic cyst following surgery? If so, what action was taken to remediate this the second time around and was this successful? The consultant said that they would consider drainage, but I've read that this is usually likely to result in further re-filling of the cyst.

I am in the UK, am an NHS patient & attend my regional specialist liver unit. Thanks in advance!

2

While draining a cyst can often resolve it permanently, recurring/refilling cysts may require a procedure where the cyst wall is dissected out, as the cyst wall may be secreting fluid that refills the cyst.  The small hole created to drain the cyst heals over and the cyst re-fills.  

I don't have a lot of experience with liver cysts, but ovarian cysts often have this problem.  Once you dissect out the cyst wall, you shouldn't have any more trouble.  

3

Thank you for this. I'm not sure how big the hole was that was made in my liver, but I know that one was made. The surgeon thinks that one of the things that may have happened is that the cyst lining has secreted more of the fluid causing the hole to be pressed against my rib age, thus effectively sealing it. 

I've noted from the Internet that one reported method of dealing with a recurrent cyst is to aspirate it and then attempt to destroy the cells lining it with several infusions of alcohol! I would be interested in hearing from anyone who has had this procedure, or, indeed, on any comments about this.

Thanks again!