Posterior parahepatic cyst

Case contributed by Michael P Hartung
Diagnosis possible

Presentation

Flank pain.

Patient Data

Age: 50 years
Gender: Male
ct

Small, round (~5 mm) nodule along the posterior right hepatic lobe at the level of the upper pole of the right kidney, closely approximating the posterior right hemidiaphragm. 

There is also a non-inflamed duodenal diverticulum and prostatomegaly. 

Annotated images

ct

Arrows indicated the location of the small posterior parahepatic cyst. 

Case Discussion

I have noticed this incidental finding time and again, and wasn't sure what to make of it. It took some digging and contacting several abdominal imagers, but finally someone shared the article on posterior parahepatic cysts with me! 

Posterior parahepatic cysts are a benign, incidental finding of a small cyst (or cysts) characteristically occurring posterior to the right hepatic lobe. They are not expected to grow or enhance. The major differential is diaphragmatic infolding (which is obvious on coronal/sagittal reformats) or retroperitoneal metastases (unlikely to be an isolated finding without mets elsewhere). Keep your eyes peeled, I'm sure you'll come across one soon!

Companion case

How to use cases

You can use Radiopaedia cases in a variety of ways to help you learn and teach.

Creating your own cases is easy.

Updating… Please wait.

 Unable to process the form. Check for errors and try again.

 Thank you for updating your details.