Liver surgery in the 2020s: ante-situm and in-situ resection are still indicated - A single-center study

Abstract

Background: Tumor infiltration of the hepatic outflow comprising all three hepatic veins and the inferior vena cava remains a surgical challenge. Liver resection under total vascular exclusion with or without extracorporeal bypass has been described as a therapeutic option for these tumors. Here, we present our experience with these complex surgical methods.

Methods: We searched our database for patients treated with an in-situ or ante-situm liver resection (ISR and ASR, respectively) with extracorporeal bypass. We collected demographic and perioperative data.

Results: From January 2010 to December 2021, we performed 2122 liver resections. Nine patients were treated with ASR and five were treated with ISR. Out of these 14 patients, six had colorectal liver metastases, six had cholangiocarcinoma, and two had non-colorectal liver metastases. The median operative time and bypass time in all patients were 536.5 and 150 min, respectively. Compared with ISR, ASR required a longer operative time (ASR 586 min and ISR 495 min) and a longer bypass time (ASR 155 min and ISR 122 min). Morbidity (Clavien-Dindo grade > 3A adverse events) occurred in 78.5% of patients. 90-day postoperative mortality was 7%. Median overall survival was 33 months. Seven patients experienced recurrence. In these patients, median disease-free survival was 9 months.

Conclusion: Resection of tumors infiltrating the hepatic outflow poses a high risk for patients. However, with rigorous selection and an experienced perioperative team, these patients can be treated surgically with reasonable oncological outcomes.