Patterns and Clinico-Radiological Characteristics of Primary Liver Masses in Children Treated at a Tertiary Referral Hospital, in Ethiopia

Background: Liver masses are a cause of morbidity and mortality in children worldwide. Although the patterns and clinical-radiological characteristics of primary liver masses have been studied in developed countries, few studies have been conducted in developing countries. Studying the patterns of liver mass in children helps to improve the outcome of liver masses and to design preventive strategies if the identified risk factors are preventable.<br />Material and Method: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted on children who met the inclusion criteria, using a self-administered structured questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. Descriptive and logistic regression analyses were used to assess the determinant factors.<br />Results: A total of 74 children were included, with most patients being males (60.8%). More than one-third (n = 27) of the participants were between 1 and 4 years of age and the mean age at diagnosis of the liver mass was 4.6 years. The duration of illness at presentation to Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital was between 4 and 8 weeks, in 42% of the patients. The most common presenting symptom was abdominal swelling, accounting for 70.3% (n = 52) of the patients. Benign hepatic mass lesions accounted for 57.5% (n = 42), and 43.2% (n = 32) were malignant liver masses. Most lesions were solitary and involved the right lobe of the liver. The common benign hepatic masses were pyogenic liver abscesses (38.1%), and the most common malignant hepatic masses were hepatoblastomas (78.1%).<br />Conclusion: Pyogenic liver abscess was the most common benign hepatic mass and hepatoblastoma was the most common malignant hepatic mass in our study. Most lesions were solitary and involved the right lobe. Understanding the patterns of liver masses will help in the early diagnosis and improve treatment outcomes in children with liver masses.