Central Hepatectomy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma in a Non-Cirrhotic Liver: Case Report and Literature Review

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary tumor of the liver. HCC usually develops in cirrhotic liver but cases arising in a healthy liver are rare and its etiology remains uncertain. The treatment of choice of hepatocellular carcinoma is surgical resection. Centrally located liver tumors were traditionally treated by extensive liver resection. With recent improvements in surgical techniques, centrally hepatectomy became an alternative approach for parenchymal preservation. We report here, the case of a 68-year-old male patient with an incidental finding of a 9 cm hepatic mass in segment IV of a non-cirrhotic liver found to be a hepatocellular carcinoma successfully treated by central hepatectomy. Although technically challenging, improvements in the understanding of liver structure, based on functional segmental anatomy, together with advances in imaging technology have contributed to the development of segment-oriented liver surgery making central hepatectomy an acceptable procedure for centrally located malignancies and allowing parenchyma preservation.