Hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery: symptomatic simple liver cyst: practice question

A General Surgery question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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General Surgery · Hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery: symptomatic simple liver cyst

Sample item

A 50-year-old woman with early satiety and dull right upper quadrant pain has a 10 cm thin-walled unilocular liver cyst without septa or calcified wall, and hydatid serology is negative. Which treatment gives the lowest recurrence?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

D. Laparoscopic deroofing (fenestration)

A symptomatic simple cyst is best treated by laparoscopic deroofing, which removes the secreting wall to the peritoneum for absorption. Aspiration alone usually recurs, and antihelminthics are for hydatid disease.

Option by option

  • A. Percutaneous aspiration alone

    Aspiration alone has a high recurrence rate because the lining keeps secreting.

  • B. Right hepatectomy

    Hepatectomy is excessive for a benign cyst.

  • C. Albendazole for 3 months

    Albendazole treats hydatid cysts, which serology has excluded.

  • D. Laparoscopic deroofing (fenestration) (correct)

    Correct. Deroofing has the lowest recurrence for symptomatic simple cysts.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

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Questions about this General Surgery question

What is the answer to this General Surgery question?

The best answer is D, Laparoscopic deroofing (fenestration). A symptomatic simple cyst is best treated by laparoscopic deroofing, which removes the secreting wall to the peritoneum for absorption.

Why is "Percutaneous aspiration alone" not the answer?

Aspiration alone has a high recurrence rate because the lining keeps secreting.

Why is "Right hepatectomy" not the answer?

Hepatectomy is excessive for a benign cyst.

Why is "Albendazole for 3 months" not the answer?

Albendazole treats hydatid cysts, which serology has excluded.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery: symptomatic simple liver cyst in General Surgery. Aspiration alone usually recurs, and antihelminthics are for hydatid disease.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery: symptomatic simple liver cyst?

Learn classic signs and eponyms alongside what they diagnose. Then use the flashcards and the other General Surgery questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.