A meta-analysis of the three-dimensional reconstruction visualization technology for hepatectomy

Abstract

This meta-analysis was conducted to systematically evaluate the short-term efficacy and safety of the three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction visualization technology (3D-RVT) technique for hepatectomy. A systematic literature search was used to gather information on the 3D reconstruction visualization technology technique for hepatectomy from retrospective cohort studies and comparative studies. The retrieval period was up to March 2022. Publications and conference papers in English were manually searched and references in bibliographies traced. After evaluating the quality of selected studies, a meta-analysis was conducted using Review Manager 5.1 software. We included 12 studies comprising 2053 patients with liver disease. Our meta-results showed that 3D-RVT significantly shortened operation times [weighted mean differences (WMD) = -29.36; 95% confidence interval (CI): -55.20 to -3.51; P = 0.03], reduced intraoperative bleeding [WMD = -93.53; 95% CI: -152.32 to -34.73; P = 0.002], reduced blood transfusion volume [WMD = -66.06; 95% CI: -109.13 to -22.99; P = 0.003], and shortened hospital stays [WMD = -1.90; 95% CI: -3.05 to -0.74; P = 0.001]. Additionally, the technique reduced the use of hepatic inflow occlusion and avoided overall postoperative complications [odds ratio (OR) = 0.60; 95% CI: 0.46 to 0.79; P < 0.001]. 3D-RVT is safe and effective for liver surgery and provides safety assessments before anatomical hepatectomy.

Keywords: Hepatectomy; Meta-analysis; Three-dimensional reconstruction; Virtual surgery planning.