Laparoscopic anatomical portal territory hepatectomy using Glissonean pedicle approach (Takasaki approach) with indocyanine green fluorescence negative staining: how I do it

Application of Laennec extrathecal blockade combined with indocyanine green fluorescence imaging in laparoscopic anatomic hepatectomy

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the safety and application value of combining Laennec extracapsular occlusion with ICG fluorescence imaging in laparoscopic anatomic hepatectomy.

METHODS

Complete laparoscopic dissection was performed outside the Laennec sheath, blocking Glisson's pedicle of the corresponding liver segment or lobe. An appropriate amount of indocyanine green (ICG) dye was intravenously injected, and the boundary line between the pre-cut liver segment and liver lobe was identified using fluorescence laparoscopy. Complete resection of the liver segment or lobe was performed based on anatomical markers. Clinical data, including operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative hospital stay, and postoperative complications, were collected.

RESULTS

A total of 14 cases were included in the study, including seven cases of primary liver cancer, three cases of metastatic liver cancer, three cases of intrahepatic bile duct calculi, and one case of hepatic hemangioma. All 14 patients underwent anatomic hepatectomy under fluorescent laparoscopy, with four cases involving the right liver, seven cases involving the left liver, two cases involving the right anterior lobe, and one case involving the right posterior lobe.

CONCLUSION

Combining laparoscopic follow-up of the Laennec membrane with Glisson outer sheath block and intraoperative ICG fluorescence imaging provides real-time guidance for locating the resection boundaries during anatomic hepatectomy. This approach helps in controlling intraoperative bleeding, reducing operation time, and ensuring high safety. It holds significant value in clinical application.

Laparoscopic and open minor liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma with clinically significant portal hypertension: a multicenter study using inverse probability weighting approach

BACKGROUND

Liver resection offers substantial advantages over open liver resection (OLR) for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in terms of reduced intraoperative blood loss and morbidity. However, there is limited evidence comparing the indications and perioperative outcomes with the open versus laparoscopic approach for resection. This study aimed to compare postoperative outcomes between patients undergoing laparoscopic liver resection (LLR) and OLR for HCC with clinically significant portal hypertension (CSPH).

METHODS

A total of 316 HCC patients with CSPH (the presence of gastroesophageal varices or platelet count < 100,000/ml and spleen diameter > 12 cm) undergoing minor liver resection at eight centers were included in this study. To adjust for confounding factors between the LLR and OLR groups, an inverse probability weighting method analysis was performed.

RESULTS

Overall, 193 patients underwent LLR and 123 underwent OLR. After weighting, LLR was associated with a lower volume of intraoperative blood loss and the incidence of postoperative complications (including pulmonary complications, incisional surgical site infection, and paralytic ileus) compared to the OLR group. The 3-, 5-, and 7-year postoperative recurrence-free survival rates were 39%, 26%, and 22% in the LLR group and 49%, 18%, and 18% in the OLR group, respectively (p = 0.18). And, the 3-, 5-, and 7-year postoperative overall survival rates were 71%, 56%, and 44% in the LLR group and 76%, 51%, 44% in the OLR group, respectively (p = 0.87).

CONCLUSIONS

LLR for HCC patients with CSPH is clinically advantageous by lowering the volume of intraoperative blood loss and incidence of postoperative complications, thereby offering feasible long-term survival.

Safety and feasibility of laparoscopic liver resection for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: a propensity score-matched study

BACKGROUND

Laparoscopic liver resection (LLR) is controversial in treating intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC). Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the safety and feasibility of LLR for the treatment of ICC and explored the independent factors affecting the long-term prognosis of ICC.

METHODS

We included 170 patients undergoing hepatectomy for ICC from December 2010 to December 2021 and divided them into LLR group and open liver resection (OLR) group. We used propensity score matching (PSM) analysis to reduce the impact of data bias and confounding variables and then compared the short-term and long-term prognosis of LLR and OLR in treating ICC; Cox proportional hazards regression model was adopted to explore the independent factors affecting the long-term prognosis of ICC.

RESULTS

A total of 105 patients (70 in the LLR group and 35 in the OLR group) were included after 2:1 PSM analysis. There was no difference in demographic characteristics and preoperative indexes between the two groups. The perioperative results of the OLR group were worse than those of the LLR group, that is, the intraoperative blood transfusion rate (24 (68.6) vs 21 (30.0)), blood loss (500 (200-1500) vs 200 (100-525)), and the morbidity of major postoperative complications (9 (25.7) vs 6 (8.5)) in the OLR group were worse than those in LLR group. LLR could enable patients to obtain an equivalent long-term prognosis compared to OLR. The Cox proportional hazards regression model exhibited that no matter before or after PSM, preoperative serum CA12-5 and postoperative hospital stay were independent factors affecting overall survival, while only lymph node metastasis independently influenced recurrence-free survival.

CONCLUSIONS

Compared with ICC treated by OLR, the LLR group obtained superior perioperative period outcomes. In the long run, LLR could enable ICC patients to receive an equivalent long-term prognosis compared to OLR. In addition, ICC patients with preoperative abnormal CA12-5, lymph node metastasis, and more extended postoperative hospital stay might suffer from a worse long-term prognosis. However, these conclusions still need multicenter extensive sample prospective research to demonstrate.

Effects of indocyanine green fluorescence imaging of laparoscopic anatomic liver resection for HCC: a propensity score-matched study

BACKGROUND

Recently, indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence imaging has been increasingly used in laparoscopic anatomic liver resection. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of ICG-guided laparoscopic anatomic liver resection in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) compared with traditional laparoscopic anatomic liver resection.

METHODS

A retrospective study was performed on patients with pathologically diagnosed HCC who successfully underwent laparoscopic anatomical liver resection from January 2019 to December 2021. The outcomes were compared between the two groups before and after the propensity score matching (PSM).

RESULTS

A total of 110 patients were included in this study, including 50 patients in the ICG-guided group and 60 patients in the traditional group. Compared with the traditional group, the ICG-guided group had a shorter operative duration (P = 0.040), less intraoperative blood loss (P = 0.044), a lower incidence of postoperative complications (P = 0.023), and a shorter postoperative hospitalisation (P < 0.001). After PSM, significant differences remained between the two groups for the duration of postoperative hospitalisation (P = 0.018) and postoperative complications (P = 0.042). There was no significant difference in the recurrence rate between the two groups before and after PSM.

CONCLUSION

Laparoscopic anatomic liver resection guided by ICG fluorescence imaging can reduce the duration of postoperative hospitalisation for patients and the incidence of postoperative complications. However, it has no impact on the long-term outcome of patients.

Laparoscopic central hepatectomy using a parenchymal-first approach: how we do it

BACKGROUND

Laparoscopic central hepatectomy (LCH) is a difficult and challenging procedure. This study aimed to describe our experience with LCH using a parenchymal-first approach.

METHODS

Between July 2017 and June 2021, 19 consecutive patients underwent LCH using a parenchymal-first approach at our institution. Herein, the details of this procedural strategy are described, and the demographic and clinical data of the included patients were retrospectively analyzed.

RESULTS

There were 1 female and 18 male patients, all with hepatocellular carcinoma without major vascular invasion. The mean age was 57 ± 10 years. No patients underwent conversion to open surgery, and no blood transfusions were needed intraoperatively. The average operative duration and the average Pringle maneuver duration were 223 ± 65 min and 58 ± 11 min. respectively. The median blood loss was 200 ml (range: 100-800 ml). Postoperative morbidities occurred in 3 patients (15.8%), including 2 cases of bile leakage and 1 case of acquired pulmonary infection; there were no postoperative complications happened such as bleeding, hepatic failure, or mortality. The average postoperative hospital stay was 10 ± 3 days.

CONCLUSION

The optimized procedure of LCH using a parenchymal-first approach is not only feasible but also expected to provide an advantage in laparoscopic anatomical hepatectomy.

Risk factors for and management of morbidity in pure laparoscopic resection of the right posterosuperior segments of the liver: A multicenter retrospective study

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to determine the risk factors for severe postoperative complications in patients undergoing pure laparoscopic liver resection (LLR) for tumors in the right posterosuperior (PS) segments.

METHODS

The study included 289 patients who underwent parenchyma-sparing pure LLR for tumors in the right PS segments at eight treatment centers between January 2009 and December 2019.

RESULTS

Multivariate analysis revealed tumor size ≥3 cm (P = .016), segmentectomy (P = .044), and liver cirrhosis (P = .029) as independent risk factors for severe postoperative complications. The severe complication rates (2.7% vs 12.1%, P = .0025), median intraoperative blood loss (100 mL vs 150 mL, P = .001), and median operation time (248 minutes vs 299.5 minutes, P = .0013) were lower in the patients without all these three risk factors than those with at least one risk factor. The median length of postoperative hospital stay was shorter in patients with no risk factors than those with at least one risk factor (9 days vs. 10 days, P = .001).

CONCLUSIONS

Tumor size ≥3 cm, segmentectomy, and liver cirrhosis were the risk factors for severe postoperative complications after parenchyma-sparing pure LLR for tumors in the right PS segments. Patients without these three risk factors would be appropriate candidates for safely performing parenchyma-sparing pure LLR in the right PS segments at the outset.

Application Effect of ICG Fluorescence Real-Time Imaging Technology in Laparoscopic Hepatectomy

This study aimed to evaluate the efficiency and safety of indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence real-time imaging-guided technology in laparoscopic hepatectomy. A retrospective analysis of patients with primary liver cancer in the First Affiliated Hospital of USTC from January 2018 to October 2021, including 48 cases of fluorescence-guided laparoscopic hepatectomy (FGLH) and 60 cases of traditional laparoscopic hepatectomy (LH), was conducted. R0 resection rate, operation time, intraoperative blood loss, complications, hospital stay, and other intraoperative and postoperative indicators of the two groups were analyzed to determine the clinical feasibility and safety of ICG fluorescence real-time imaging-guided technology in laparoscopic hepatectomy. Related databases were searched for retrospective cohort studies and randomized controlled trials comparing FGLH with LH, studies were screened according to preset inclusion and exclusion criteria, literature quality was evaluated, and data were extracted. RevMan 5.3 software was used to conduct a meta-analysis on the extracted data. The results of our clinical data and meta-analysis showed that compared with LH, FGLH increased the R0 resection rate, shortened the operation time and postoperative hospital stay, and reduced blood loss and the occurrence of postoperative complications. Compared with LH, FGLH has a better application effect in laparoscopic hepatectomy, and it is worthy of promotion as it is safe and feasible.

Impact of laparoscopic parenchyma-sparing resection of lesions in the right posterosuperior liver segments on surgical outcomes: A multicenter study based on propensity score analysis

BACKGROUND

Laparoscopic liver resection for hepatic lesions is increasingly performed worldwide. However, parenchyma-sparing laparoscopic liver resection for hepatic lesions in the right posterosuperior segments is very technically demanding. This study aimed to compare postoperative outcomes between patients undergoing laparoscopic liver resection and open liver resection for hepatic lesions in the right posterosuperior segments.

METHODS

In total, 617 patients who underwent liver resection of hepatic lesions in the right posterosuperior segments (segment Ⅶ or Ⅷ) at 8 centers were included in this study. We lessened the impact of confounders through propensity score matching, inverse probability weighting, and double/debiased machine learning estimations.

RESULTS

After matching and weighting, the imbalance between the 2 groups significantly decreased. Compared with open liver resection, laparoscopic liver resection was associated with a lower volume of intraoperative blood loss and incidence of postoperative complications in the matched and weighted cohorts. After surgery, the incidence of pulmonary complication and cardiac disease was lower in the laparoscopic liver resection group than in the open liver resection group in both the matched and weighted cohorts. The odds ratios of laparoscopic liver resection for postoperative complications in the matched and weighted cohorts were 0.49 (95% confidence interval, 0.29-0.83) and 0.40 (95% confidence interval, 0.25%-0.64%), respectively. The double/debiased machine learning risk difference estimator for postoperative complications of laparoscopic liver resection was -19.8% (95% confidence interval, -26.8% to -13.4%).

CONCLUSION

Parenchyma-sparing laparoscopic liver resection for hepatic lesions in the right posterosuperior segments had clinical benefits, including lower volume of intraoperative blood loss and incidence of postoperative complications.