Unexplained huge liver infarction presenting as a tumor with bleeding: A case report

BACKGROUND: Liver infarction is a rare necrotic lesion due to the dual blood supply consisting of the hepatic artery and portal vein. The absence of specific clinical manifestations and imaging appearances usually leads to misdiagnosis and poor prognosis. Thus, the precise diagnosis of liver infarction always requires imaging studies, serum studies, and possible liver biopsy. CASE SUMMARY: We report a case of 31-year-old man who developed a huge liver infarction. Persistent right upper abdominal pain and intermittent fever were the main symptoms in this patient. Computed tomography revealed a huge irregular lesion with a maximum diameter of 12.7 cm in the right lobe of the liver. Three-dimensional reconstruction was performed and no significant interruption of the main hepatic vessels was observed. The lesion was initially considered to be a malignant tumor with internal bleeding. Laparoscopic right hepatectomy was performed, and pathology indicated a rare liver infarction. The patient recovered well and was discharged on postoperative day 21. No fever or abnormal liver function were reported in the subsequent 6 mo. CONCLUSION: In patients with a huge liver infarction, early surgical intervention may be beneficial.