Portal vein embolization and subsequent major hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma with insufficient residual liver volume: experience of a tertiary center

Portal vein embolization (PVE) allows for liver regeneration to enhance reduced residual liver volume before resection in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with systemic liver disease. A retrospective review of medical records was conducted, including patients who underwent PVE and subsequent major hepatectomy to treat resectable non-metastatic HCC at the University Medical Center in Ho Chi Minh City between 01/2016 and 6/2023. Patient demographics, timing of procedures, surgical interventions, intra- and postoperative complications, pattern of recurrence, and survival were analyzed. A total of 58 patients with HCC were included, and the median length of stay after surgery was 8 days (range 5-24). Post-hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) occurred with an overall incidence of 31% (18/58 cases). Severe PHLF occurred in 6 cases: grade B in 5 cases (8.6%) and grade C in 1 case (1.7%), resulting in patient death. Postoperative bleeding and bile leak each occurred in 1 case (1.7%). Univariable and multivariable analyses identified portal vein pressure (PVP) after PVE as the only significant preoperative parameter associated with outcomes, correlating with PHLF occurrence (OR 1.27, p = 0.009) at a cut-off of 15 mmHg (p = 0.018). The overall survival at 3, 6, and 12 months was 96%, 94%, and 94%, respectively, with disease-free survival rates of 94%, 90%, and 87%, respectively. Major hepatectomy can be performed safely and effectively in HCC patients who have PVE-induced liver hypertrophy (sFLR ≥ 40%) and preserved liver function (Child-Pugh A) maintaining low morbidity. Multivariate analysis revealed that a post-PVE PVP cutoff of 15 mmHg significantly correlated with perioperative parameters, including operating time, blood loss, and PHLF occurrence.

Intraoperatively measured prehepatectomy portal vein pressure as a useful predictor of posthepatectomy liver failure

BACKGROUND

Predicting posthepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) may be a critical requirement for liver disease patients undergoing hepatectomy. This study retrospectively analyzed the impact of the intraoperatively measured portal vein pressure (PVP) prior to hepatectomy on the prediction of PHLF in hepatectomized patients.

METHODS

A total of 334 hepatectomized patients in whom the PVP was intraoperatively measured before resection at our institution were enrolled in the present study. Outcomes were assessed according to the International Study Group of Liver Surgery definition and the severity of PHLF grading.

RESULTS

Thirty-nine of the 334 patients (11.6%) developed grade B/C PHLF. The following factors were significantly associated with grade B/C PHLF in a univariate analysis: indocyanine green retention rate after 15 min, Child-Pugh score, prehepatectomy PVP, and transfusion (each P < 0.0001). A prehepatectomy PVP value of 19.5 cmH2O was the optimal cutoff value for predicting grade B/C PHLF. In a multivariate analysis, prehepatectomy PVP (≥ 19.5 cmH2O) was selected as the most relevant risk factor for grade B/C PHLF (P = 0.0003, hazard ratio: 5.96, 95% CI: 1.80-19.70).

CONCLUSIONS

Prehepatectomy PVP can serve as a useful predictor of the risk of PHLF in patients who have undergone hepatectomy. The results emphasize the possibility of reducing the planned extent of hepatic resection when the prehepatectomy PVP value measured intraoperatively exceeds 19.5 cmH2O, and the importance of predicting the PVP before the operation.

A systematic review of the impact of portal vein pressure changes on clinical outcomes following hepatic resection

BACKGROUND

There are evolving data correlating elevated post-hepatic resection portal vein pressure (PVP) with risk of developing post-resection liver failure (PLF) and other complications. As a consequence, modulation of PVP presents a potential strategy to improve outcomes following liver resection (LR). The primary aim of this study was to review the existing evidence regarding the impact of post-resection PVP on clinical outcomes in patients undergoing a LR.

METHODS

Systematic literature searches of electronic databases in accordance with PRISMA were conducted. Changes in PVP and clinical outcomes following liver resection were defined according to the existing literature.

RESULTS

Ten studies, consisting of 712 patients with a median age 61 (52-68) years, were identified that met the inclusion criteria. Of those, 77% (n = 550) underwent a major LR and 27% (n = 195) of patients had cirrhosis. Following LR, the median (range) PVP increased from 11.4 mmHg (median baseline, range 7.3-16.4) to 15.9 mmHg (7.9-19). The overall median incidence of PLF was 19%. Six of the ten studies found an elevated PVP after LR predicted PLF. One study found elevated PVP after LR predicted mortality after LR.

CONCLUSION

Elevated PVP following hepatic resection was associated with increased rates of PLF. It was not possible to define a specific threshold PVP for predicting PLF. Modulation of PVP therefore presents a potential strategy to mitigate the incidence of LR. Future studies should standardize on reporting liver remnant and haemodynamics to better characterize clinical outcomes following LR.

Portal Inflow Modulation by Somatostatin After Major Liver Resection: A Pilot Study

: Major hepatectomy (MH) can lead to an increasing portal vein pressure (PVP) and to lesions of the hepatic parenchyma. Several reports have assessed the deleterious effect of a high posthepatectomy PVP on the postoperative course of MH. Thus, several surgical modalities of portal inflow modulation (PIM) have been described. As for pharmacological modalities, experimental studies showed a potential efficiency of Somatostatin to reduce PVP and flow. To our knowledge, no previous clinical reports of PIM using somatostatin are available. Herein, we report the results of PIM using somatostatin in 10 patients who underwent MH with post-hepatectomy PVP > 20 mmHg. Our results suggest Somatostatin could be considered as an efficient reversible PIM when PVP decrease is above 2.5 mmHg.