Resection of segment VIII of liver for treatment of primary liver cancer
Y. Q. Yu, Z. Y. Tang, Z. C. Ma, X. D. Zhou and P. Mack
Liver Cancer Institute, Shanghai Medical University, People's Republic of China.
The close relationship of hepatic segment VIII to the right and middle
hepatic veins and to the inferior vena cava makes liver cancer resection in
this region extremely difficult. Resection of segment VIII was performed in
25 patients with primary liver cancer between January 1970 and May 1990.
Most resections were performed with just porta hepatis occlusion, but some
cases required the technique of total hepatic vascular exclusion, otherwise
known as "bloodless hepatic resection." It involved control of both the
suprahepatic and infrahepatic inferior vena cavae in addition to control of
the porta hepatis. Major modifications to the original technique were made,
and the 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates were 90.5%, 50.0%, and 37.5%,
respectively. Two patients have survived 12 and 15 years, respectively.
Both of them are alive to date and have returned to work.
