A Comparison of Short-Term Outcomes between Laparoscopic and Open Liver Resection in Elderly Patients

A scoring system to predict the risk of major complications after laparoscopic liver resection in elderly patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND

The safety of laparoscopic liver resection (LLR) in elderly patients is a matter of concern because the reduced physiologic reserve increases the risk of postoperative complications. However, there are few score systems for predicting complications after LLR in elderly patients. The aim of this study is to propose a new simplified scoring system based on the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) to predict major complications after LLR in elderly patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed 257 consecutive patients aged ≥ 65 years who underwent LLR for HCC between 2004 and 2019. The GNRI formula was 1.489 × serum albumin (g/L) + 41.7 × present weight/ideal weight (kg). A scoring system to predict the risk of major complications was developed by assigning points to each risk factor equal to its regression coefficient determined in the multivariable analysis. Major complications were defined as complications of Clavien-Dindo grade III or higher.

RESULTS

Of the 257 patients, 219 patients were finally included in this study. Major complications occurred after LLR in 24 patients (10.9%). Multivariable analysis showed that the GNRI (hazard ratio [HR] 3.396, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.242-9.288, P = 0.017), Child-Turcotte-Pugh score (HR 2.191, 95% CI 1.400-8.999, P = 0.036), major liver resection (HR 2.683, 95% CI 1.082-7.328, P = 0.050), and intraoperative transfusion (HR 1.802, 95% CI 1.428-7.591, P = 0.022) were independent predictors of major postoperative complications. These variables were assigned points based on their HRs, and the resulting 10-point model showed good discrimination (area under the curve 0.756, 95% CI 0.649-0.836, P = 0.001).

CONCLUSION

The scoring system outperformed the GNRI for predicting major complications after LLR in elderly patients with HCC.

Laparoscopic hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery: my trials and current status in Korea

There has been a dramatic change in surgical care over the past 30 years with the introduction of laparoscopic surgery. It was my great fortune that I could experience laparoscopic surgery during my resident training period. After beginning to work for my hospital in 1995, I tried laparoscopic surgery in many surgical fields, including hepatobiliary and pancreatic (HBP), colon, stomach, and vascular surgery (endoscopic saphenous vein harvesting, endoscopic subfascial perforating vein interruption to treat skin complications in patients with deep vein insufficiency in the lower leg). In Sabiston, Textbook of Surgery, published in 1997, laparoscopic Whipple and major liver resection were not accepted at the time but now are. There are three possible reasons that may explain this shift. The first one is the 30 years of experience using advanced techniques; all of us know that "Seeing is believing," and "A thousand hearings are not worth one seeing." Next is the availability of three-dimensional imaging with magnification which enables us to perform difficult surgeries. The last one is the use of good instruments and an advanced surgical platform. In this paper, I would like to share my past and recent trials with advanced HBP laparoscopic surgery, as well as its current status in Korea and future directions.