Initial experience of laparoscopic right lobectomy after portal vein embolization

Abstract

Background: Portal vein embolization is a technique used before hepatic resection to increase the size of remnant liver after surgery. This therapy redirects portal blood to segments of the future liver remnant, resulting in hypertrophy. The purpose of this study was to find out the safety and feasibility of laparoscopic right lobectomy after portal vein embolization. Methods: All consecutive cases of laparoscopic right lobectomy after portal vein embolization between July 2014 and April 2018 in a tertiary referral hospital were enrolled in this retrospective cohort study. All surgical procedures were performed by one surgeon. There were 14 cases of laparoscopic right lobectomy after portal vein embolization. The group was analysed in terms of donor demographics, preoperative data, postoperative outcomes. Results: The mean age of the donors was 51.3 ± 9.2 years, the mean operative time was 266.4 ± 67.9 minutes and mean postoperative hospital stay was 9.8 days. The number of complications was 2 cases (14.3%) and among them, the Clavien-Dindo classification III or higher complication was 1 (7.1%). There were no mortality cases. Conclusion: Laparoscopic right lobectomy after portal vein embolization was a safe and feasible procedure for selected patients. It showed an acceptable incidence of complications. The authors suggest that laparoscopic right lobectomy after portal vein embolization could be a reasonable operative option for selected patients.