page_title: Hepatocellular adenoma
section_title: Pathologic diagnosis
hierarchical_section_title: Hepatocellular adenoma / Diagnosis / Pathologic diagnosis
caption_attribution_description: English: High magnification micrograph of a hepatic adenoma. Reticulin stain. Features: Sheets of hepatocytes with bubbly vacuolated cytoplasm - that are on a regular reticulin scaffold and less or equal to three cell thick. Lack identifiable portal triad (consisting of bile ductule, venule and arteriole). Low mag. High mag. Low mag. (reticulin) High mag. (reticulin)
context_page_description: Hepatocellular adenoma is a rare, benign liver tumor. It most commonly occurs in people with elevated systemic levels of estrogen, classically in women taking estrogen-containing oral contraceptive medication.
context_section_description: Hepatic adenomas are, typically, well-circumscribed nodules that consist of sheets of hepatocytes with a bubbly vacuolated cytoplasm.  The hepatocytes are on a regular reticulin scaffold and less or equal to three cell thick.
  The histologic diagnosis of hepatic adenomas can be aided by reticulin staining. In hepatic adenomas, the reticulin scaffold is preserved and hepatocytes do not form layers of four or more hepatocytes, as is seen in hepatocellular carcinoma.
  Cells resemble normal hepatocytes and are traversed by blood vessels but lack portal tracts or central veins.
caption: Micrograph of a hepatic adenoma demonstrating a regular reticulin scaffold. Reticulin stain
exif: {"Image Make": "Canon", "Image Model": "Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XSi", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image DateTime": "2009:08:19 21:24:47", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Co-sited", "Image ExifOffset": "192", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "9118", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "9759", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/250", "EXIF FNumber": "0", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Aperture Priority", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "100", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0221", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2009:07:29 19:04:45", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2009:07:29 19:04:45", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "8", "EXIF ApertureValue": "2147483648", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "0", "EXIF SubSecTime": "55", "EXIF SubSecTimeOriginal": "55", "EXIF SubSecTimeDigitized": "55", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "2848", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "4272", "Interoperability InteroperabilityIndex": "R98", "Interoperability InteroperabilityVersion": "[48, 49, 48, 48]", "EXIF InteroperabilityOffset": "8994", "EXIF FocalPlaneXResolution": "2136000/439", "EXIF FocalPlaneYResolution": "356000/73", "EXIF FocalPlaneResolutionUnit": "2", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Manual", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard"}