How to treat intrahepatic hemangioma? Treatment of intrahepatic hemangioma

Intrahepatic hemangioma is very common and generally has no symptoms. Clinically, many patients are found to have hemangiomas in their liver only during physical examinations. Most hemangiomas in the liver are benign. Among the several types of hemangiomas, the spongy type is the most common. Most of them occur on the right side of the liver, and only a small part occurs on the left side. So how do you treat intrahepatic hemangioma?

Treatment of intrahepatic hemangioma

Western medicine treatment

Hepatic hemangioma develops slowly and has a good prognosis. Whether treatment is needed depends on the growth rate and clinical symptoms of the tumor, not the absolute size of the tumor. Most patients who have been diagnosed but are asymptomatic can be followed up as outpatients without requiring special treatment. There are many intervention methods for hepatic hemangioma, including surgery, interventional therapy, sclerosing agent injection, and laparoscopic hemangioma resection. Although surgery has certain risks, it is the most direct and thorough means of treating hepatic hemangioma. Laparoscopic resection of hepatic hemangioma often leads to recurrence, so it is not suitable for routine use. Orthotopic liver transplantation may also be considered for symptomatic giant hepatic hemangiomas that cannot be surgically resected. Non-surgical treatments for hepatic hemangioma include transcatheter hepatic artery embolization or laparoscopic hepatic artery ligation, local radiotherapy, oral steroids, and intramuscular injection of α-interferon. Hepatic artery embolization for the treatment of hepatic hemangioma can lead to serious biliary complications and should be avoided as much as possible. Radiotherapy can relieve symptoms and shrink tumors in a small number of patients. The efficacy of ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy injection is still uncertain.

TCM treatment methods

In the treatment of hepatic hemangioma, the main methods are to promote qi and soothe the liver, activate blood circulation and remove blood stasis, soften and disperse nodules. However, in the specific treatment, the emphasis on qi stagnation and blood stasis should be distinguished. If the main problem is blood stasis, the following medicines should be used: antelope bone, buffalo horn, bezoar, red peony root for clearing away heat, cooling blood and relieving pain; bupleurum, yellow peel kernel, white bell needle, etc. for regulating qi and relieving depression; salvia miltiorrhiza and safflower for promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis; fried pangolin, soapberry thorn, and Sichuan pepper for softening and dispersing nodules and moving through the meridians. If the main problem is qi stagnation, use the following medicines: bupleurum, turmeric, phellodendron chinense, and white jade needle to promote qi and relieve depression; salvia miltiorrhiza, safflower, trillium, curcuma, and rhubarb to promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis; stir-fried pangolin, soapberry thorn, and Sichuan pepper to soften and disperse nodules, unblock meridians and relieve pain. Combined with oral administration of "Bear Bile Pills" and "Danhuo Heat Therapy", the therapeutic effect will be better. The symptoms of abdominal masses are different from general symptoms of qi stagnation and blood stasis. They are often caused by long-term stagnation and cannot be cured by simply promoting qi and blood circulation.