PURPOSE: To evaluate the authors' experience with treatment of symptomatic hepatic cysts by means of percutaneous catheterization and sclerosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty patients with 24 symptomatic hepatic cysts underwent percutaneous drainage and sclerosis. Ten patients had polycystic disease, and 10 had solitary cysts. Sclerosants used were alcohol, tetracycline, doxycycline, or a combination. RESULTS: Twenty-one of 24 cysts in 17 of 20 patients were treated successfully. Treatment was unsuccessful in three patients: one patient with innumerable medium-size and small cysts, one patient in whom only a needle was inserted (no catheter), and one patient with a cystic metastasis (rather than a simple cyst) that recurred. Complications included pleural effusion in two patients and secondary infection in one patient. The range of blood alcohol levels was 0-0.8 mg%. CONCLUSION: Percutaneous catheter drainage with sclerosis is an effective method of therapy for symptomatic hepatic cysts; careful patient selection is essential for proper therapy.
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vanSonnenberg et al. (1994) studied this question.