Background: Laparoscopic left hepatectomy with resection of the Spiegel lobe remains a technically demanding procedure as it is a deep-seated area surrounding the inferior vena cava (IVC). Mobilization of the Spiegel lobe requires safe exposure of the ventral side of the IVC while dissecting the short hepatic veins from the IVC. Additionally, wide space is needed to isolate the left Glissonean pedicle (Glt). We used a modified caudate lobe-first approach to overcome this challenge Maeda (J Hepato-Bil Pancreat Sci 25:335-41, 2018), Li (J Gastrointest Surg 23:1084-5, 2019), Homma (Surg Endosc 33:3851-7, 2019).
Methods: The ischemic area was confirmed after isolating the left and middle hepatic artery and left portal vein. After mobilizing the left lateral section, the Spiegel lobe was divided from the notch, which is the boundary between the caudate lobe and the Spiegel lobe, toward the middle hepatic vein (MHV). The Spiegel lobe was safely detached from the IVC with a short hepatic vein transected with the caudo-dorsal view. The Glt could be easily isolated due to the wide space on the ventral side of the IVC. After dividing the left hepatic duct, the MHV was exposed continuously from the root to the periphery, and parenchymal transection was completed by connecting the demarcation line and MHV.
Results: The total operation time was 430 min, and estimated blood loss was minimal. The patient was discharged on postoperative day 6 without complications.
Conclusions: The modified caudate lobe-first approach can be used to safely perform laparoscopic left hepatectomy combined with the Spiegel lobe resection.
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