Concomitant major hepatectomy and inferior vena cava reconstruction

Abstract

The development of techniques for liver transplantation and preservation has led to several surgical innovations for the resection of hepatic malignancies that invade the inferior vena cava (IVC) and the hepatic venous confluence. The resection of hepatic malignancies invading the IVC has become technically feasible and relatively safe since the introduction of total hepatic vascular exclusion (HVE), with or without bypass. The more aggressive approach, involving concomitant hepatic and IVC resection and subsequent replacement of the IVC using autologous or synthetic materials, has also been adopted. If a subtotal hepatectomy could not be performed, total hepatectomy with liver transplantation was a valuable option. But there is no agreement on the management of these tumors in a cirrhotic liver, so the choice of operative procedures used for these patients remains debatable. We reviewed the records of eight hepatic malignancies, including histologically proven five hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) in cirrhotic livers, and the records of patients with metastatic carcinoma in noncirrhotic livers who underwent concomitant hepatic resection and IVC reconstruction.