Tumeurs hépatiques de l'enfant : approche par l'imagerie

Hepatic neoplasms are infrequent in children; they constitute only 1-2 % of all paediatric tumours. Of them, 2/ 3 are malignant. Clinical examination, biology, and imaging have a major role in establishing the diagnosis. Ultrasonography with colour-Doppler which is usually the first investigation performed has to answer the following questions: Is-it a hepatic mass? What is the aspect of the lesion (cystic, solid, calcifications)? Is there one or several tumours? Are the bile ducts dilated? Is there an underlying chronic liver disease (tyrosinemia, glycogen storage disease, cirrhosis…)? Are there associated visceral abnormalities (Pepper syndrome, tyrosinemia, lymphoma…)? Which segment of the liver is involved? MRI and CT with contrast enhancement also provide sufficient information for diagnosis and treatment. Percutaneous biopsy is carried out in some cases, subsequently.