Background: Associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy (ALPPS) got wide success among hepatic surgeons as an efficient way to shorten to 7 days from the 4 weeks interval of classic 2-staged hepatectomy. The main disadvantage of ALPPS is the onset of inflammatory adhesions, particularly on the hepatic pedicle region, previously dissected. The aim of the study is the evaluation of a resorbable collagen membrane (CM) indicated in the prevention of postoperative adhesions as an alternative to the use of a plastic bag (PB) during ALPPS procedure.
Methods: All patients undergoing ALPPS procedure in our department were prospectively included in a database. At the end of the first surgery, at least one resorbable CM (COVA+™, Biom'Up, France) was placed instead of a PB. Intraoperative adhesions during the second step and clinical short-term safety were assessed.
Results: Ten patients with a mean age of 57.5 years underwent a 2-staged hepatectomy through ALPPS approach. At the second stage, 90 % of the patients experienced either grade-0 (no adhesion) or grade-I adhesions (mild adhesions easily divided). None of the reported complications were related to the use of the CM.
Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first clinical study evaluating the use of an anti-adhesion resorbable CM as a safe and efficient alternative to PB in ALPPS procedures.