Total vascular exclusion for liver resections: pros and cons

Patch venoplasty for resecting tumor invading the retrohepatic inferior vena cava using total and selective hepatic vascular exclusion

Large hepatic tumors can invade the retrohepatic inferior vena cava (IVC). Resecting the involved IVC wall is necessary to achieve complete tumor resection. We present detailed surgical procedures of IVC resection and patch venoplasty under the standard and modified total hepatic vascular exclusion (THVE) techniques applied to two patients who underwent aggressive surgery for hepatic tumors. The first case was a 55-year-old male with advanced intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. The extent of resection was extended right hepatectomy with caudate lobe resection, right adrenalectomy, and portal vein segmental resection-anastomosis. The invasion site at the IVC was excised and repaired with an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene patch under modified THVE. This patient recovered uneventfully. At postoperative 10 months, second primary cancer occurred in the duodenum. The patient underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy but passed away at post-surgery 6 weeks due to pneumonia-associated sepsis. The second case was a 35-year-old female with giant cavernous hemangioma. As separating the right liver from the IVC was infeasible through conventional dissection techniques, standard THVE was performed. The short hepatic vein was too large to repair directly without risk of IVC stenosis. Thus, a cryopreserve iliac vein allograft patch was applied to repair the defect. The patient recovered uneventfully from the operation. The patient is currently doing well for 6 years. However, progressive hemangiomatosis occurred. In conclusion, standard and modified THVE techniques are proposed as useful techniques to achieve complete tumor resection in patients with large liver tumors invading the retrohepatic IVC.

Adult hepatoblastoma: learning from children

Hepatoblastoma is the most common malignant liver tumour in infants and young children. Its occurrence in the adult population is debated and has been questioned. The aim of this paper is to review the histological and clinical features of adult hepatoblastoma as described in the adult literature, and to compare the findings with those of paediatric hepatoblastoma. The developmental and molecular aspects of hepatoblastoma are reviewed and their potential contribution to diagnosis of adult hepatoblastoma discussed. Case reports of adult hepatoblastoma identified by a PubMed search of the English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish literature through March 2011 were reviewed. Forty-five cases of hepatoblastoma were collected. Age at presentation was variable. Survival was uniformly poor, except for the rare patients who presented with the relatively differentiated, foetal type. The common denominator between adult and paediatric cases is the occurrence of embryonal or immature aspect of the tumours. Whether the adult cases of hepatoblastoma represent blastemal tumours, stem cell tumours, or unusual differentiation patterns in otherwise more frequent adult liver tumours remains to be established. Adult tumours labelled as hepatoblastoma are characterised by malignant appearing mesenchymal components. Surgical management is the cornerstone of therapy in children and also appears to confer an improved prognosis in adults. Whether adult hepatoblastoma exists, remains controversial. Indeed, several features described in adult cases are markedly different from hepatoblastoma as it is understood in children, and other differential diagnoses should also be entertained. Nonetheless, hepatoblastoma should be considered in adults presenting with primary liver tumours in the absence of pre-existing liver disease. Adult and paediatric patients with immature hepatoblastoma appear to have worse outcomes, and adults presenting with presumed hepatoblastoma have an overall poorer prognosis than children with hepatoblastoma. In all patients, surgery should be the treatment of choice, neoadjuvant chemotherapy is advisable.

Caval invasion by liver tumor is limited

BACKGROUND

Successful hepatic resection with combined inferior vena cava (IVC) resection has been reported. The necessity of a combined IVC resection for hepatic malignancies that have attached to the IVC has not been fully evaluated.

STUDY DESIGN

In this retrospective study, 162 lesions for which preoperative CT findings suggested attachment to the IVC were evaluated. Patient survival rates were examined according to type of tumor and the operative procedure. For adenocarcinoma lesions, several CT findings, including extent of the IVC circumference attached to the tumor compared with the whole IVC circumference (E(IVC)), were evaluated in conjunction with IVC resection.

RESULTS

Among 162 lesions, 18 adenocarcinoma lesions were resected in combination with an IVC resection. Histologic IVC invasion was confirmed in eight patients. None of the 67 hepatocellular carcinoma lesions required concomitant IVC resection. Overall 5-year survival rate of the patients who underwent concomitant liver and IVC resections was 33.1%. Among the adenocarcinoma lesions, the positive predictive factors for IVC resection were an E(IVC) value > 25% and a peaked deformity of the IVC wall, according to a multivariate analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

Most hepatic malignancies attached to the IVC wall can be completely removed without IVC resection. E(IVC) and deformity of the IVC on CT can be useful indicators for a concomitant liver and IVC resection. Careful separation of the liver and IVC is a key point for minimizing the size of the resected IVC and to avoid unnecessary IVC resection.

Systemic and regional effects of supraceliac aortic occlusion during experimental hepatic vascular exclusion

BACKGROUND

Supraceliac aortic occlusion (AO) has been recommended to avoid hypotension during hepatic vascular exclusion (HVE). We hypothesized that AO may negatively affect splanchnic perfusion during HVE.

METHODS

Twenty-six dogs (16 +/- 0.3 kg) were randomly assigned to HVE (n = 13) or HVE+AO (n = 13), during 30 minutes followed by a 60-minute reperfusion period. Cardiac output (CO), mean arterial pressure (MAP), superior mesenteric artery blood flow (SMABF, ultrasonic flowprobe), gastric mucosal PCO(2) (gas tonometry) and PCO(2)-gap were evaluated.

RESULTS

HVE alone induced decreases in MAP from 115 +/- 5.1 to 26 +/- 1 mm Hg, in CO from 2.0 +/- 0.1 to 0.4 +/- 0.1 L/min and SMABF from 398 +/- 42 to 16 +/- 7.6 mL/min, while PCO(2) gap increased from 4 +/- 3.7 to 52 +/- 5.4 mm Hg. Supraceliac aortic occlusion only avoided severe hypotension. During reperfusion MAP, CO, and SMABF were partially restored, while PCO(2) gap showed no improvements in either group.

CONCLUSIONS

HVE promotes major systemic and splanchnic perfusional derangement. Concomitant AO may avoid HVE-induced hypotension without producing further deleterious effects.