Perioperative LiMAx Test Analysis: Impact of Portal Vein Embolisation, Chemotherapy and Major Liver Resection

BACKGROUND

Postoperative liver failure (PLF) is a severe complication after major liver resection (MLR). To increase the safety of patients, clinical bedside tests are of great importance. However, limitations of their applicability and validity impair their value.

METHODS

Preoperative measurements of the liver maximum capacity (LiMAx) were performed in n = 40 patients, who underwent MLR (≥3 segments). Matched postoperative LiMAx was measured in n = 21 patients. Liver function was compared between pretreated patients (n = 11 with portal vein embolisation (PVE) and n = 19 patients with preoperative chemotherapy) and therapy naïve patients. The LiMAx values were compared with liver-specific blood parameters and volumetric analysis.

RESULTS

In total, n = 40 patients were enrolled in this study. The majority of patients (n = 33; 82.5%) had high preoperative LiMAx values (>315 µg/kg/h), while only seven patients (17.5%) had medium values (140-315 µg/kg/h), and none of the patients had low values (<140 µg/kg/h). A comparison of pretreated patients (with PVE and/or chemotherapy) and therapy naïve patients showed no significant difference in the preoperative LiMAx values (p > 0.05). The preoperative LiMAx values were significantly higher than the matched postoperative values on postoperative day 1 (p < 0.0001). A comparison between the expected and measured postoperative LiMAx showed a difference (≥10%) in 7 out of 13 patients (53.8%). After an initial postoperative decrease in the LiMAx, the patients without complications (n = 12) showed a continuous increase until 14 days after surgery. In the patients with postoperative complications, a decrease in the LiMAx was associated with a prolonged recovery.

CONCLUSIONS

For patients undergoing MLR within the 0.5% rule, which is the clinical gold standard, the LiMAx values do not offer any additional information. Additionally, the LiMAx may have reflected liver function, but it did not deliver additional information regarding postoperative liver recovery. The clinical use of LiMAx might be relevant in selected patients beyond the 0.5% rule.

Robotic Liver Surgery for Alveolar Echinococcosis: A Single-Centre Experience

Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is a rare disease caused by Echinococcosis multilocularis, which usually requires multidisciplinary management including surgery as the only curative approach. In recent years, minimally invasive strategies have been increasingly adopted for liver surgery. In particular, robotic surgery enables surgeons to perform even complex liver resections using a minimally invasive approach. However, there are only a few reports on robotic liver surgery for AE. Consecutive patients undergoing robotic liver surgery for AE were analysed based on the prospective database of the Interdisciplinary Robotic Centre of Ulm University Hospital. Between January 2021 and August 2022, a total of 16 patients with AE underwent robotic hepatectomy at our institution. Median age was 55.5 years (23−73), median body mass index (BMI) was 25.8 kg/m2 (20.2−36.8) and 12 patients (75%) were female. Anatomic resections were performed in 14 patients (87.5%), of which 4 patients (25%) underwent major hepatectomies (i.e., resection of >3 segments) including two right hemihepatectomies, one left hemihepatectomy and one extended right hemihepatectomy performed as associating liver partition with portal vein ligation staged (ALPPS) hepatectomy. There was no 90-day mortality, no postoperative bile leakage and no posthepatectomy haemorrhage. One patient developed posthepatectomy liver failure grade B after extended right hemihepatectomy using an ALPPS approach. One patient had to be converted to open surgery and developed an organ-space surgical site infection, for which he was re-admitted and underwent intravenous antibiotic therapy. Median length of postoperative hospital stay was 7 days (4−30). To our knowledge, this is the largest series of robotic liver surgeries for AE. The robotic approach seems safe with promising short-term outcomes in this selected cohort for both minor as well as major resections.

Alveolar Echinococcosis-A Challenging Task for the Hepatobiliary Surgeon

(1) Background: Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is an ultimately fatal disease, whose only curative treatment is surgery. Due to its late presentation extended liver resections are often necessary. The true benefit of extensive surgery has yet to be established; (2) Methods: We present a single center experience of 33 cases of Echinococcus multilocularis that have been treated at a high-volume hepatobiliary surgery center between 2004 and 2021. (3) Results: Of the 33 patients 24 patients underwent major liver resection (73%). In addition to the liver resection patients frequently underwent complex extrahepatic procedures such as lymphadenectomy (n = 21, 61%), vascular resections and reconstructions (n = 9, 27%) or resections and reconstruction of the extrahepatic bile duct (n = 11, 33%). Seven patients suffered from ≥ grade III complications (21%). Complete resection was achieved in 17 patients. Fourteen patients had R1 resections and two had macroscopic parasitic remnant (R2). Progressive disease was reported in three patients (The two R2 patients and one R1 resected patient). At a median follow-up of 54 months no mortality has occurred in our cohort; (4) Conclusions: Liver resection remains the gold standard for AE. Even in extensive disease the combination of complex resection and perioperative benzimidazoles can achieve favorable long-term outcomes.

Outcome of major hepatectomy in cirrhotic patients; does surgical approach matter? A propensity score matched analysis

OBJECTIVE

Major hepatectomy in cirrhotic patients still represents a great challenge for liver surgeons. Hence, the aim in the present study is to investigate the clinical impact of major hepatectomy and to assess whether the surgical approach influences the outcome of cirrhotic patients.

METHODS

Multicenter retrospective study including cirrhotic patients undergoing major laparoscopic (mjLLR) and open liver resection (mjOLR) in 14 Western liver centers was performed (2009-2020). Clinical, demographic, and perioperative data were compared using propensity score matching (PSM). Long-term outcome after resection for hepatocellular carcinoma was analyzed.

RESULTS

Overall, 352 patients were included; 108 after mjLLR and 244 after mjOLR. After PSM, 88 patients were matched in each group. In the mjLLR group, compared to mjOLR, less blood loss (P = .042), lower overall and severe complication (P < .001, .020), such as surgical site infection, acute kidney injury and liver failure were observed, parallel to a shorter length of hospital stay. Stratifying patients based on the type of resection, less severe complications was observed only after laparoscopic left hepatectomy (P = .044), while the advantages of laparoscopy tend to decrease during right hepatectomy. Subgroup analysis of long-term survivals following liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma showed no difference between mjLLR and mjOLR.

CONCLUSIONS

This multicenter experience suggests potential short-term benefits of mjLLR in cirrhotic patients compared to mjOLR, without compromising long-term outcome. These findings might have interesting clinical implications for the management of patients with chronic liver disease.

Case Report: Successful DaVinci-Assisted Major Liver Resection for Alveolar Echinococcosis

We report a case of successful robot-assisted major liver resection in a patient with liver alveolar echinococcosis (AE). A 62-year-old male patient was incidentally diagnosed with a large infiltrative lesion in the right liver lobe suspicious for AE. A radical surgical resection as a right-sided hemihepatectomy was indicated. The operation was carried out via a robotic-assisted procedure using the DaVinci Xi Surgical System. The tumor measured 12.4 × 8.8 cm and was successfully resected through a suprapubic incision of 13 cm. The patient was free of pain after the second post-operative day. A fluid collection near the resection plate was easily drained without bile leakage. The patient had no surgical complications. Radical resection is inevitable for adequate curative therapy of AE and provides clear margins. Robotic surgery is a relatively new and safe option for curative resection of AE lesions, with remarkable advantages for patients and surgeons.

Preoperative three-dimensional versus two-dimensional evaluation in assessment of patients undergoing major liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma: a propensity score matching study

Background

Compared with 2D evaluation, 3D evaluation possesses the virtues of displaying spatial anatomy of intrahepatic blood vessels and its relations to tumors, and enabling calculation of liver volumes, thus facilitating preoperative surgery planning.

Methods

The objective of this study is to study whether preoperative 3D (three-dimensional) evaluation produced better long-term overall survival (OS) outcomes compared to the traditional 2D (two-dimensional) evaluation in patients who underwent major hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This retrospective study matched patients who underwent preoperative 2D evaluation with those who underwent preoperative 3D evaluation in a 1:1 ratio using propensity score matching. The primary endpoints were long-term survival outcomes in the two groups after major hepatectomy for HCC.

Results

Of the 248 patients in each of the 2 matched groups, the baseline characteristics were comparable. The median follow-up for all patients was 36 months (range, 0-40 months). The 3-year OS of patients in the PSM cohort was 38.5%. Compared with the 2D Group, patients in the 3D Group had a better OS rate (HR 0.722, 95% CI: 0.556-0.938, P=0.015) and disease-free survival (DFS) rate (HR 0.741, 95% CI: 0.590-0.929, P=0.009). The 3-year OS and DFS rate for the 3D Group versus the 2D group were 58.9% and 44.0% versus 47.4% and 33.1%, respectively.

Conclusions

3D preoperative evaluation resulted in significantly better intermediate-term (3-year) overall survival rate than the traditional 2D evaluation.

Lateral cavo-caval shunt: an alternative veno-venous bypass in liver surgery

When inferior vena cava (IVC) resection is mandatory during liver surgery, use of a veno-venous bypass (VVB) is usually required despite its specific related adverse events. We describe a safe and alternative technique which allows both derivation of the portal and the caval blood flow by performing a lateral cavo-caval shunt using a prosthetic graft.

An Improved Surgical Technique for Pure Laparoscopic Left Hemihepatectomy: Ten Years Experience in a Tertiary Center

Background: This study details our experience with an improved surgical technique involving the hepatic pedicle during laparoscopic left hemihepatectomy (LLH).

Methods: We describe an improved laparoscopic technique to extraparenchymally divide the left hepatic pedicle. A retrospective analysis of all of the patients who underwent laparoscopic liver procedures between 2002 and 2012 was conducted. The patients were divided into two groups, an early LLH group (ELLH group) and a recent LLH group (RLLH group), based on the surgical approach used for the left hepatic pedicle.

Results: A total of 72 cases of LLH (26 ELLH and 46 RLLH) were identified. The RLLH group exhibited a shorter median operative time, median length of hospital stay, and lower median blood loss compared to the ELLH group (182, 162.5–223.7 versus 232.5, 200–357.5 minutes, P < .01; 5, 4.2–7 versus 7, 6–8.7 days, P < .05; 150, 100–257.5 versus 300, 200–337.5 mL, P < .05, respectively). No perioperative mortality was observed.

Conclusions: This study confirms that our improved surgical technique for LLH is practical, safe, and effective. The main advantage of this method compared to other techniques is the possibility of attaining rapid and precise control of vascular inflow, thus facilitating LLH.

Major hepatectomies for perihilar cholangiocarcinoma: Predictors for clinically relevant postoperative complications using the International Study Group of Liver Surgery definitions

BACKGROUND/AIM

Major hepatectomies are widely used in curative-intent surgery for perihilar cholangiocarcinoma, but morbidity rates are high. The aim of the study is to explore potential predictors for clinically relevant complications after major hepatectomies for perihilar cholangiocarcinoma.

METHODS

Seventy patients were included. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed for risk factors of morbidities using the International Study Group of Liver Surgery definitions.

RESULTS

Severe morbidity rate was 36.5%. Clinically relevant posthepatectomy liver failure, bile leak, and hemorrhage rates were 24%, 22%, and 8.5%, respectively. A neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio > 3.3 is an independent prognostic factor for severe complications (hazard ratio = 1.258; 95% confidence interval 1.008-1.570; p = 0.042) while the number of blood units > 3 is an independent prognostic factor for clinically relevant liver failure (hazard ratio = 1.254; 95% confidence interval 1.082-1.452; p = 0.003). Biliary drainage and portal vein resection were not statistically correlated with any postoperative complication (p ≥ 0.101). Significantly higher bilirubinemia levels were observed in patients with postoperative hemorrhage (p = 0.023).

CONCLUSION

Clinically relevant morbidity rates after major hepatectomies for perihilar cholangiocarcinoma are high. Liver failure represents the main complication and is correlated with the number of transfused blood units. A patient with increased bilirubinemia appears to have a high risk for postoperative hemorrhage. Biliary drainage and portal vein resection does not appear to have a detrimental effect on morbidities. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio is a novel independent predictor for severe morbidity after major hepatectomies for perihilar cholangiocarcinoma and may contribute to better and informed decision-making.

Laparoscopic major hepatectomy can be safely performed with colorectal surgery for synchronous colorectal liver metastasis

BACKGROUND

The optimal strategy for resectable synchronous colorectal liver metastases remains controversial. Although some authors advocate a staged treatment, an increasing number of studies have reported that combined colorectal and liver resection is safe. Laparoscopic combined resection in primary colorectal cancer with synchronous liver metastases has been reported but there are no specific data for major liver resections. In the present study, we evaluated the feasibility of a simultaneous entirely laparoscopic procedure, in the light of the benefits of laparoscopy in both colon and liver surgery, and discussed the benefits of this strategy.

METHODS

Two cases are presented of totally laparoscopic major liver resections associated with laparoscopic colorectal resections for synchronous liver metastases with the emphasis on the technical aspects. Duration of surgery, blood loss and post-operative outcome were evaluated.

RESULTS

  Laparoscopic right hepatectomy or left hepatectomy with simultaneous colon resection for liver metastasis was feasible and safe with only one suprapubic 5-mm trocar added to the usual trocar sites. The mean duration of surgery was 327 min with a mean estimated blood loss of 200 ml. The post-operative course was uneventful.

DISCUSSION

In selected patients, laparoscopic major hepatectomies for unilobular synchronous metastases can be safely performed simultaneously with colorectal surgery.