Treatment of soft tissue sarcoma: a European approach

The Use of Autologous Peritoneum for Complete Caval Replacement Following Resection of Major Intra-abdominal Malignancies

OBJECTIVE

Assessment of a simple layer peritoneal tube used as an autogenous inferior vena cava replacement.

BACKGROUND

Extensive en-bloc multivisceral resection including major vessels is effective in selected abdominal malignancies, but the need for vascular reconstruction represents a surgical challenge. We describe the use of autologous peritoneum for caval replacement.

METHODS

Autogenous parietal peritoneum without fascial backing was harvested and tubularized to replace the inferior vena cava (IVC) in four patients with complex abdominal tumors. Surgical morbidity was evaluated using the Clavien-Dindo classification, and graft patency was systematically evaluated with ultrasound.

RESULTS

All four patients had multiorgan resections for malignancies involving the retro-hepatic IVC, and they all required the replacement of infrarenal and suprarenal IVC segments. Additionally, all four required a right nephrectomy, two had a combined major hepatectomy, and one patient needed a veno-venous bypass. All had an R0 resection. A clinical follow-up took place between 5 and 11 months after surgery for each patient. Four-month graft patency was confirmed by ultra-sound and TDM with no sign of disease recurrence.

CONCLUSIONS

Autologous peritoneum without fascial backing is a good and safe option for circumferential replacement of IVC after extensive en-bloc tumor resection with IVC involvement.