Frequency, technical aspects, results, and indications of major hepatectomy after prolonged intra-arterial hepatic chemotherapy for initially unresectable hepatic tumors.

Abstract

The decision to perform a major hepatectomy after prolonged IAHC is difficult and must be based on an output morphologic assessment with computed tomographic portography and a careful evaluation of functional liver impairment because of IAHC (the therapeutic strategy proposed by Makuuchi for hepatectomy in patients with cirrhosis, based on indocyanine green clearance and volume to resect, is very useful for this purpose). Hepatectomy is technically difficult to perform following IAHC because of a flabby parenchyma and unusually high pressure in the small central hepatic veins. This drawback is circumvented by using techniques, such as preoperative hypertrophy of the future remaining liver, a transparenchymatous approach of vasculobiliary structures, and intermittent clamping of the hepatic pedicle or vascular isolation of the liver. Postoperative complications occurred more frequently than after major hepatectomy in other clinical settings (p < 0.05). However, as this therapeutic approach greatly increases survival, it should not be neglected by clinicians, although indications for its use are very rare.