John B. Martinie

The International Position on Laparoscopic Liver Surgery: The Louisville Statement, 2008

Objective:To summarize the current world position on laparoscopic liver surgery. Summary Background Data:Multiple series have reported on the safety and efficacy of laparoscopic liver surgery. Small and medium sized procedures have become commonplace in many centers, while major laparoscopic liver resections have been performed with efficacy and safety equaling open surgery in highly specialized centers. Although the field has begun to expand rapidly, no consensus meeting has been convened to discuss the evolving field of laparoscopic liver surgery. Methods:On November 7 to 8, 2008, 45 experts in hepatobiliary surgery were invited to participate in a consensus conference convened in Louisville, KY, US. In addition, over 300 attendees were present from 5 continents. The conference was divided into sessions, with 2 moderators assigned to each, so as to stimulate discussion and highlight controversies. The format of the meeting varied from formal presentation of experiential data to expert opinion debates. Written and video records of the presentations were produced. Specific areas of discussion included indications for surgery, patient selection, surgical techniques, complications, patient safety, and surgeon training. Results:The consensus conference used the terms pure laparoscopy, hand-assisted laparoscopy, and the hybrid technique to define laparoscopic liver procedures. Currently acceptable indications for laparoscopic liver resection are patients with solitary lesions, 5 cm or less, located in liver segments 2 to 6. The laparoscopic approach to left lateral sectionectomy should be considered standard practice. Although all types of liver resection can be performed laparoscopically, major liver resections (eg, right or left hepatectomies) should be reserved for experienced surgeons facile with more advanced laparoscopic hepatic resections. Conversion should be performed for difficult resections requiring extended operating times, and for patient safety, and should be considered prudent surgical practice rather than failure. In emergent situations, efforts should be made to control bleeding before converting to a formal open approach. Utilization of a hand assist or hybrid technique may be faster, safer, and more efficacious. Indications for surgery for benign hepatic lesions should not be widened simply because the surgery can be done laparoscopically. Although data presented on colorectal metastases did not reveal an adverse effect of the laparoscopic approach on oncological outcomes in terms of margins or survival, adequacy of margins and ability to detect occult lesions are concerns. The pure laparoscopic technique of left lateral sectionectomy was used for adult to child donation while the hybrid approach has been the only one reported to date in the case of adult to adult right lobe donation. Laparoscopic liver surgery has not been tested by controlled trials for efficacy or safety. A prospective randomized trial appears to be logistically prohibitive; however, an international registry should be initiated to document the role and safety of laparoscopic liver resection. Conclusions:Laparoscopic liver surgery is a safe and effective approach to the management of surgical liver disease in the hands of trained surgeons with experience in hepatobiliary and laparoscopic surgery. National and international societies, as well as governing boards, should become involved in the goal of establishing training standards and credentialing, to ensure consistent standards and clinical outcomes.

Microwave ablation for hepatic malignancies: a multiinstitutional analysis.

Objective:This study hypothesized that tumor size, number of tumors, surgical approach, and tumor histology significantly affected microwave ablation (MWA) success and recurrence-free survival. Background:Although many hepatobiliary centers have adopted MWA, the factors that influence local control are not well described. Methods:Consecutive patients with hepatic malignancy treated by MWA were included from 4 high-volume institutions (2003–2011) and grouped by histology: hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), colorectal liver metastases, neuroendocrine liver metastases, and other cancers. Independent significance of outcome variables was established with logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards models. Results:Four hundred fifty patients were treated with 473 procedures (139 HCC, 198 colorectal liver metastases, 61 neuroendocrine liver metastases, and 75 other) for a total of 875 tumors. Median follow-up was 18 months. Concurrent hepatectomy was performed in 178 patients (38%), and when performed was associated with greater morbidity. Complete ablation was confirmed for 839 of 865 tumors (97.0%) on follow-up cross-sectional imaging (10 were unevaluable). A surgical approach (open, laparoscopic, or percutaneous) had no significant impact on complication rates, recurrence, or survival. The local recurrence rate was 6.0% overall and was highest for HCC (10.1%, P = 0.045) and percutaneously treated lesions (14.1%, P = 0.014). In adjusted models, tumor size 3 cm or more predicted poorer recurrence-free survival (hazard ratio: 1.60, 95% CI: 1.02–2.50, P = 0.039). Conclusions:In this large data set, patients with 3 cm or more tumors showed a propensity for early recurrence, regardless of histology. Higher rates of local recurrence were noted in HCC patients, which may reflect underlying liver disease. There were no significant differences in morbidity or survival based on the surgical approach; however, local recurrence rates were highest for percutaneously ablated tumors.

Liver tumor ablation: percutaneous and open approaches.

The global incidence of liver cancer is greater than a million cases a year. Surgical resection where applicable is still the standard of care for these patients. Various liver‐directed regional therapies have been developed in an effort to treat the vast majority of unresectable liver tumors. This article reviews the principles behind various ablation therapies currently available for malignant liver tumors and their outcomes. J. Surg. Oncol. 2009;100:619–634.

International multicentre prospective study on microwave ablation of liver tumours: preliminary results

BACKGROUND Microwave ablation (MWA) is increasingly utilized in the treatment of hepatic tumours. Promising single-centre reports have demonstrated its safety and efficacy, but this modality has not been studied in a prospective, multicentre study. METHODS Eighteen international centres recorded operative and perioperative data for patients undergoing MWA for tumours of any origin in a voluntary Internet-based database. All patients underwent operative MWA using a 2.45-GHz generator with a 5-mm antenna. RESULTS Of the 140 patients, 114 (81.4%) were treated with MWA alone and 26 (18.6%) were treated with MWA combined with resection. Multiple tumours were treated with MWA in 40.0% of patients. A total of 299 tumours were treated in these 140 patients. The median size of ablated lesions was 2.5 cm (range: 0.5-9.5 cm). Tumours were treated with a median of one application (range: 1-6 applications) for a median of 4 min (range: 0.5-30.0 min). A power setting of 100 W was used in 78.9% of cases. Major morbidity was 8.3% and in-hospital mortality was 1.9%. CONCLUSIONS These multi-institution data demonstrate rapid ablation time and low morbidity and mortality rates in patients undergoing operative MWA with a high rate of multiple ablations and concomitant hepatic resection. Longterm follow-up will be required to determine the efficacy of MWA relative to other forms of ablative therapy.

The use of a novel MUC1 antibody to identify cancer stem cells and circulating MUC1 in mice and patients with pancreatic cancer.

MUC1 is over‐expressed and aberrantly glycosylated in >60% of human pancreatic cancer (PC). Development of novel approaches for detection and/or targeting of MUC1 are critically needed and should be able to detect MUC1 on PC cells (including cancer stem cells) and in serum.

Robotic pancreaticoduodenectomy: comparison of complications and cost to the open approach

Robotic pancreaticoduodenectomy (RP) has shown some advantages over open pancreaticoduodenectomy (OP) but no data has been published providing a cost comparison.

Real-time three-dimensional guided ultrasound targeting system for microwave ablation of liver tumours: a human pilot study.

OBJECTIVES This study aimed to evaluate a novel three-dimensional ultrasound (US) guidance system for use in hepatic microwave ablation (MWA). METHODS An in vitro assessment was performed in which users with different degrees of experience were evaluated for accuracy in targeting phantom lesions embedded in agar using US alone, or US in conjunction with the InVision™ System (IVS). An eight-patient pilot trial of the IVS was then performed in the setting of open hepatic MWA, in which lesions would otherwise have been targeted with conventional US. RESULTS In vitro studies demonstrated that the IVS significantly improved targeting accuracy at all levels of operator experience (novice, beginner and expert). In the human trial, a total of 31 tumours were targeted and all lesions were hit in one pass, as assessed by independent US image observations. There were no adverse operative events; however, there was minor line-of-sight interference with the infra-red tracking mechanism when some lesions high on the dome of the liver were targeted. CONCLUSIONS The IVS significantly increased the accuracy of complex targeting procedures of phantom lesions and enhanced targeting in an eight-patient clinical pilot study. During the accrual phase of this pilot study, the development of improved non-optical tracking hardware obviated the requirement to maintain a direct line of sight. The trial was then halted prematurely in order to focus on the application of the IVS utilizing this non-optical modality.

Novel 3-D laparoscopic magnetic ultrasound image guidance for lesion targeting

OBJECTIVES Accurate laparoscopic liver lesion targeting for biopsy or ablation depends on the ability to merge laparoscopic and ultrasound images with proprioceptive instrument positioning, a skill that can be acquired only through extensive experience. The aim of this study was to determine whether using magnetic positional tracking to provide three-dimensional, real-time guidance improves accuracy during laparoscopic needle placement. METHODS Magnetic sensors were embedded into a needle and laparoscopic ultrasound transducer. These sensors interrupted the magnetic fields produced by an electromagnetic field generator, allowing for real-time, 3-D guidance on a stereoscopic monitor. Targets measuring 5 mm were embedded 3-5 cm deep in agar and placed inside a laparoscopic trainer box. Two novices (a college student and an intern) and two experts (hepatopancreatobiliary surgeons) targeted the lesions out of the ultrasound plane using either traditional or 3-D guidance. RESULTS Each subject targeted 22 lesions, 11 with traditional and 11 with the novel guidance (n= 88). Hit rates of 32% (14/44) and 100% (44/44) were observed with the traditional approach and the 3-D magnetic guidance approach, respectively. The novices were essentially unable to hit the targets using the traditional approach, but did not miss using the novel system. The hit rate of experts improved from 59% (13/22) to 100% (22/22) (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS The novel magnetic 3-D laparoscopic ultrasound guidance results in perfect targeting of 5-mm lesions, even by surgical novices.

Hepatic Tumor Ablation

Ablation of liver tumors is part of a multimodality liver-directed strategy in the treatment of various tumors. The goal of ablation is complete tumor destruction, and ultimately improvement of quality and quantity of life for the patient. Technology is evolving rapidly, with important improvements in efficacy. The current state of ablation technology and indications for ablation are described in this review.

Robotic hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery: lessons learned and predictors for conversion†

The use of surgical robots has slowly gained an increasing presence in the realm of hepatobiliary and pancreatic (HPB) surgery. With additional experience, anecdotal evidence has been useful in guiding patient selection for complex robotic procedures. In the following analysis, we reviewed our case series and looked for predictors of conversion in robotic HPB surgery.