ABSTRACT
Mesenchymal hamartomas are characteristically thick walled and cystic with septations. They are benign but may rarely undergo malignant transformation. They may, however, be extremely vascular and therefore can lead to high-output cardiac failure with ascites. Hepatoblastoma and hepatocellular carcinoma together constitute by far the most important and common primary liver malignancies. Primary liver malignancies account for less than 2% of all childhood cancers. However, they are third after neuroblastoma and Wilms's tumour. A thorough understanding of the lobar and segmental anatomy of the liver is essential for safe liver resections. The surgical right and left lobes are separated along a plane passing from the gallbladder fossa to the inferior vena cava - Cantlie's line. Precise understanding of the vascular anatomy of the liver and its frequent variations is invaluable for safe liver operations. Dissection and control of the structures at the hilum is invariably the first essential surgical manoeuvre.
