Pedunculated hepatocellular carcinoma. Report of three cases and review of literature.

Pedunculated hepatocellular carcinoma (HC) is rarely found in the United States and Europe. There have been several cases in Japan. The diagnosis of pedunculated HC is said to be very difficult. This article describes three cases of pedunculated HC which were diagnosed preoperatively and were resected successfully. Celiac angiography and CT scan were useful diagnostic procedures. World literature is reviewed, and 15 documented cases of pedunculated HC have been found, including the three cases presented. It may be assumed that pedunculated HC may arise from the accessory lobe of the liver or ectopic liver tissue.