Min-Ho Shin

Pure Laparoscopic Versus Open Right Hepatectomy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Patients With Cirrhosis: A Propensity Score Matched Analysis.

Objective: We aimed to describe our experience with pure laparoscopic right hepatectomy (LRH) and to compare its outcomes with those of open right hepatectomy (ORH) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with liver cirrhosis. Background: Laparoscopic liver resection has been reported as a safe and effective approach for the management of liver cancer; however, its outcomes have not been evaluated in a large cohort of HCC patients with liver cirrhosis. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 152 patients who underwent pure LRH (n = 37) or ORH (n = 115) between June 2008 and July 2015 at the Asan Medical Center in Seoul, Korea. We performed 1:1 propensity score matching between the LRH and ORH groups. Subsequently, 33 patients were included in each group. Results: There was no statistically significant difference between the LRH and ORH groups regarding the rate of complications (P = 0.053). However, the mean comprehensive complication index, which accounts for the severity of complications, was significantly lower in the LRH group (0.63 vs 4.42; P = 0.025). There were no significant differences between the LRH and ORH groups regarding 2-year disease-free survival rate or 2-year overall survival rate (P = 0.645 and P = 0.090, respectively). Conclusions: Even in patients with cirrhosis, pure LRH is not less safe than the traditional open approach. The oncological outcomes of HCC were also comparable between the two groups. In selected patients, pure LRH for HCC appears to represent a viable alternative to ORH.

Initial Outcomes of Pure Laparoscopic Living Donor Right Hepatectomy in an Experienced Adult Living Donor Liver Transplant Center

Background Only a limited number of centers have performed laparoscopic living donor hepatectomy to date. In particular, laparoscopic right hepatectomy is rarely performed because the procedure can only be performed by surgeons with significant experience in both laparoscopic liver surgery and liver transplantation with living donor liver grafts. Methods Between November 2014 and February 2015, in a pure laparoscopic approach program for living right lobe donors at Asan Medical Center, 92 living donors underwent right hepatectomy for adult living donor liver transplantation. Among these, 3 pure laparoscopic living donor right hepatectomies were performed in 3 young female donors. Results The intraoperative and postoperative courses for all 3 donors and recipients were uneventful without any complications. Laparoscopic living donor hepatectomy has definite advantages over conventional open surgery, including decreased wound morbidity and faster recovery. Conclusions According to the data of the present report, pure laparoscopic living donor right hepatectomy in properly selected living donors (only 4% of potential donors in this cohort) appears to be a safe and feasible procedure in adult living donor liver transplantation.

Surgical outcomes following laparoscopic major hepatectomy for various liver diseases

Abstract The aim of the study was to report surgical outcomes (efficacy and safety) of laparoscopic major hepatectomy for various liver diseases. Although the number of laparoscopic liver resections has increased, expansion of laparoscopic major hepatic resection remains limited, mainly owing to the technical difficulties for the procedure as compared to open surgery. We describe our experiences with laparoscopic major hepatectomy for various liver diseases. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 192 patients who underwent laparoscopic major hepatectomy between October 2007 and March 2015 at Asan Medical Center, Korea. The mean age of the patients was 54 ± 11.6 years, and their mean body mass index was 23.5 kg/m2. The most common preoperative diagnosis was hepatocellular carcinoma (n = 82, 42.7%), followed by intrahepatic duct stones (n = 51, 26.6%). We performed 108 left hepatectomies, 55 right hepatectomies, 18 right posterior sectionectomies, 6 right anterior sectionectomies, 2 central bisectionectomies, and 3 donor right hepatectomies. The conversion rate was 1.6% (3 cases) due to bleeding, bile leakage, and uncontrolled hypercapnea during the operation. The mean operation time was 272 ± 80.2 minutes, and the mean estimated blood loss was 300.4 ± 252.2 mL. The mean postoperative hospital stay was 9.8 days. All resection margins were tumor-free in cases of malignant tumors. The morbidity rate was 3.1% (n = 6), including for case of biliary stricture. There were no deaths. Laparoscopic major hepatectomy, including donor hepatectomy, is a safe and feasible option for various liver diseases when careful selection criteria are used by a surgeon experienced with the relevant surgical techniques.

Totally laparoscopic anatomical liver resection for centrally located tumors: A single center experience.

Abstract Laparoscopic major hepatectomy is a common procedure that has been reported frequently; however, laparoscopic resection of centrally located tumors involving segments 4, 5, and 8 remains a technically difficult procedure because it requires 2 transection planes and dissection of numerous branches of the hepatic vein and glissonean capsule compared to hemi-hepatectomy. Here, we present 7 cases of totally laparoscopic right anterior sectionectomy (Lap-RAS) and 3 cases of totally laparoscopic central bisectionectomy (Lap-CBS). Between May 2013 and January 2015, 10 totally laparoscopic anatomical resections of centrally located tumors were performed in our institution. The median age of the patients was 54.2 (38–72) years and the median ICG-R15 was 10.4 (3.9–17.4). There were 8 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and 2 with metastatic colorectal cancer. All the HCC patients has the liver function impairment on the degree of Child-Pugh score A. The mean operation time was 330 ± 92.7 minutes with an estimated blood loss of 325 ± 234.5 mL. Only 1 patient required transfusion during surgery. Mean postoperative hospital stay was 9.5 ± 3.4 day and postop complication was reported only 1 case that has the fluid collection at the resection margin of the liver. Mean resection margin was 8.5 ± 6.1 mm and tumor size was 2.9 ± 1.9 cm. Totally lap-RAS and lap-CBS are feasible operative procedures in patients with centrally located tumor of the liver and particularly in patients with limited liver function such as those with cirrhosis.

Updated status of deceased-donor liver graft allocation for high-urgency adult patients in a Korean high-volume liver transplantation center.

BACKGROUND The number of deceased organ donors in Korea has been gradually increased to reach 8 per million population. This study intended to analyze the updated status of urgent deceased-donor liver transplantation in a Korean high-volume liver transplantation center. METHODS A retrospective study was performed with a 4-year study period from 2010 to 2013. RESULTS During the study period, 328 adult patients were enrolled at the Asan Medical Center for urgent orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) with Korean Network for Organ Sharing status 1 in 56 (17.1%) and status 2A in 272 (82.9%). Of them, 201 (61.3%) were allocated for OLT and 195 (58.2%) actually underwent OLT after exclusion of 6 cases of spontaneous withdrawal. In KONOS status 1, liver grafts were initially allocated to 33 (58.9%), but 6 were withdrawn owing to clinical improvement, so 27 (48.2%) actually underwent OLT. In status 2A, 168 (61.8%) underwent OLT within 2 weeks of priority waiting period. According to ABO blood groups in recipients, the allocation probability was 68% (68 of 100) in group A, 60.6% (60 of 99) in group B, 64.1% (25 of 39) in group AB, and 53.3% (48 of 90) in group O. Mean waiting period for OLT was 5.7 ± 2.1 days. CONCLUSIONS Deceased donor incidence of ∼8 per million population contributed to meeting ∼60% of the demand for urgent deceased-donor liver transplantation in a Korean transplantation center, so further increasing deceased organ donor numbers is necessary to improve the current status of organ shortage.

Donor Safety and Recipient Liver Function After Right-Lobe Liver Transplantation From Living Donors With Gilbert Syndrome.

BACKGROUND Donor safety is the most important aspect in living-donor liver transplantation (LDLT). Gilbert syndrome is an autosomal recessive condition that is a common cause of isolated unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia, and its prevalence is not negligibly low in the general population. This study intended to assess donor safety and recipient liver function after LDLT with the use of right liver grafts from living donors with Gilbert syndrome. METHODS Among 2,140 right liver transplantations performed from January 2002 to December 20113 at our institution, we identified 12 living donors (0.6%) who showed a preoperative serum total bilirubin level of ≥2 mg/dL. These donors were clinically diagnosed with Gilbert syndrome. The clinical outcomes of these donors and their recipients were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS The mean donor age was 24.6 ± 7.1 years, and 11 donors were male. All subjects met the preoperative evaluation conditions for right liver donation except for the level of unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia. The mean serum total bilirubin level of the donors was 2.23 ± 0.20 mg/dL before and 1.79 ± 0.61 mg/dL 1 year after right liver donation. The preoperative donor direct bilirubin level was 0.43 ± 0.19 mg/dL. The preoperative indocyanine green retention rate at 15 minutes was 8.2 ± 2.8%. All donors and recipients recovered uneventfully and were alive at the time of writing. The recipient serum total bilirubin level was 1.29 ± 0.47 mg/dL 1 year after LDLT. CONCLUSIONS We suggest that LDLT with living donors with Gilbert syndrome can be safely performed, but that a meticulous preoperative evaluation is vital to maximize donor safety.

Portal vein stenting as a significant risk factor for biliary stricture in adult living donor liver transplantation

BACKGROUND Although perioperative portal vein (PV) stent implantation is an effective treatment for steno-occlusive disease in adult living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) recipients, we experienced high incidence of biliary anastomotic strictures (BAS) after PV stenting. In this study, we sought to clarify the relation between BAS and PV stenting and to suggest the possible mechanism of BAS and measures to reduce its incidence. METHODS We retrospectively analyzed 44 LDLT recipients who underwent PV stent implantation across the line of PV anastomosis regardless of the location of steno-occlusion (stent group) and their matched controls (non-stented LDLT recipients, n=131). RESULTS The incidence of BAS was higher in patients in the stent group than that in the control group (43.2% vs 17.6%, P=0.001). Cumulative 6-month and 1-, 2- and 5-year BAS rates were 31.8%, 34.1%, 41.4% and 43.2%, respectively, in the stent group and 13.0%, 13.8%, 16.1% and 17.8%, respectively, in the control group (P=0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed that PV stenting was an independent risk factor for BAS. CONCLUSIONS Although PV stent implantation is a reliable treatment modality for steno-occlusive PV in adult LDLT recipients, innovative methods to prevent the PV stent from crossing the line of PV anastomosis may be necessary to reduce the incidence of postoperative BAS.