World Review of Laparoscopic Liver Resection: 2,804 Patients
Thomas Clark Gamblin, MD; David A. Geller, MD; Kevin Tri Nguyen, MD.
Department of Surgery, UPMC Liver Cancer Center
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA 15213-2582, USA
Ann Surg. 2009 Nov;250(5):831-41
Abstract
| Objective |
To provide a review of the world literature on laparoscopic liver resection. |
| Background Data |
Initially described for peripheral, benign tumors resected by nonanatomic wedge resections, minimally invasive liver resections are now being performed more frequently — even for larger, malignant tumors located in challenging locations. Although a few small review articles have been reported, a comprehensive review on laparoscopic liver resection has not been published. |
| Methods |
- Conducted a literature search using PubMed, screening all English publications on laparoscopic liver resections.
- Analyzed all data and excluded apparent case duplications in updated series from the total number of patients.
- Tabulated data by:
- tumor type
- operative characteristics
- perioperative morbidity
- oncologic outcomes
|
Results
| A total of 127 published articles of original series on laparoscopic liver resection were identified, and accounted for 2,804 reported minimally invasive liver resections. |
| Tumor Type |
- malignant tumors: 50%
- benign lesions: 45%
- live donor hepatectomies: 1.7%
- the rest were indeterminate
|
How resections were performed |
- 75% were performed totally laparoscopically
- 17% were hand-assisted
- 2% were laparoscopic-assisted open hepatic resection (hybrid) technique
- remainder used other techniques or conversions to open hepatectomies
|
Types of resections performed |
- wedge resection or segmentectomy (most common): 45%
- anatomic left lateral sectionectomy: 20%
- right hepatectomy: 9%
- left hepatectomy: 7%
|
Conversion from laparoscopy |
- to open laparotomy: 4.1%
- to hand-assisted approach: 0.7%
|
Overall mortality |
- 9 of 2,804 patients (0.3%)
|
Overall morbidity |
- 10.5%
- no intraoperative deaths reported
|
Postoperative complications |
- most common cause of postoperative death: liver failure
- postoperative bile leak: 1.5% of cases
|
for cancer resections |
- negative surgical margins were achieved in 82 to 100% of reported series
|
| Overall and disease-free survival rates after laparoscopic liver resection: |
for hepatocellular carcinoma |
- 5-year overall: 50 to 75%
- 5-year disease-free: 31 to 38.2%
|
for colorectal metastasis to the liver |
- 3-year overall: 80% to 87%
- 3-year disease-free: 51%
|
Conclusion
In experienced hands, laparoscopic liver resections are safe with acceptable morbidity and mortality for both minor and major hepatic resections.
Oncologically, 3- and 5-year survival rates reported for hepatocellular carcinoma and colorectal cancer metastases are comparable to open hepatic resection, albeit in a selected group of patients.