Author Affiliations: Department of Surgery (Cheung TT, Yuen WK, Poon RTP, Chan SC, Fan ST and Lo CM) and State Key Laboratory for Liver Research (Poon RTP, Chan SC, Fan ST and Lo CM), The University of Hong Kong, 102 Pok Fu Lam Road, Hong Kong, China

Corresponding Author: Tan To Cheung, MD, Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong, 102 Pok Fu Lam Road, Hong Kong, China (Tel: 852-22553025; Fax: 852-28165284; Email: tantocheung@hotmail.com)

 

© 2014, Hepatobiliary Pancreat Dis Int. All rights reserved.

doi: 10.1016/S1499-3872(14)60035-7

 

 

Contributors: CTT drafted the manuscript; CSC, YWK and FST revised the manuscript; FST, PRTP and LCM revised and approved the manuscript. CTT is the guarantor.

Funding: None.

Ethical approval: Not needed.

Competing interest: No benefits in any form have been received or will be received from any commercial party related directly or indirectly to the subject of this article.

 

BACKGROUND: One of the best treatments for isolated hepatocellular carcinoma in the caudate lobe is major hepatectomy with caudate lobectomy, but it is not suitable for patients with poor liver function reserve. Isolated caudate lobectomy, which is a very difficult operation, is thus an alternative option.

 

METHODS: Here we report an isolated caudate lobectomy with an anterior approach in the treatment of a large hepatocellular carcinoma with underlying cirrhosis, with focus on the technical aspects.

 

RESULTS: In the operation, both the left and right lobes of the liver were mobilized. Hepatotomy was done along the round ligament where parenchymal transection was minimal. After exposure of the left and middle hepatic veins and the hilar plate, the caudate lobe and the tumor were resected en bloc with a 5-mm margin.

 

CONCLUSION: Isolated caudate lobectomy can be performed safely with this anterior approach on patients with poor liver function reserve.

 

(Hepatobiliary Pancreat Dis Int 2014;13:219-222)

 

KEY WORDS: hepatocellular carcinoma; epatectomy; liver cirrhosis

The major challenge of surgical treatment for patients with isolated hepatocellular carcinoma and underlying cirrhosis is to preserve adequate postoperative liver function while achieving complete tumor clearance.^[1] Tumor size, tumor location, and the severity of cirrhosis all determine the outcome. The challenge is even stronger if the tumor is located in the caudate lobe as resection of hepatocellular carcinomas in the caudate lobe demands the finest and most meticulous techniques.

 

The caudate lobe is the posterior part of the liver and can be subdivided into the left Spiegel lobe, the right caudate process, and the paracaval portion, but no definite landmarks for the boundaries can be observed from the liver surface.^{[2, 3]} To remove isolated hepatocellular carcinomas in the caudate lobe, an easier way is to perform a left or right hepatectomy together with caudate lobectomy. However, this can only be safely performed in patients with good liver function reserve. Isolated caudate lobectomy is thus a more sensible option for patients with advanced cirrhosis.

 

Isolated caudate lobectomy is not widely practiced because it is technically very demanding. As a result, there are only a few reports on it.^{[4, 5]} Here we report a simplified version of the anterior approach to isolated caudate lobectomy in the treatment of a large hepatocellular carcinoma with underlying cirrhosis.

 

 

The patient was a 68-year-old female carrier of hepatitis B virus with cirrhosis who joined a half-yearly ultrasound screening program. She had no jaundice or epigastric discomfort. She was found to have an 8-cm mass deep inside the liver, just anterior to the inferior vena cava. Blood test revealed that her serum total bilirubin level was 40 µmol/L, serum albumin level was 32 g/L, serum α-fetoprotein level was 480 ng/mL, international normalized ratio was 1.3, platelet count was 80×10⁹/L, and indocyanine green retention rate was 25% at 15 minutes. Contrast computed tomography was done, showing a mass of 8×6 cm in the caudate lobe of the liver which was compatible with hepatocellular carcinoma (Fig. 1). Since the patient did not want liver transplantation, isolated caudate lobectomy was conducted.

 

The laparotomy started with a right subcostal incision with midline extension. Intraoperative ultrasonography showed an isolated tumor in the caudate lobe, close to the middle and left hepatic veins. The posterior border of the tumor was compressing the inferior vena cava without infiltration to the lumen. The anterior border of the lesion was close to the hilar plate. Cholecystectomy was performed and the cystic duct was cannulated with an Fr-3.5 catheter and prepared for a methylene blue leakage test. The left lateral border of the encapsulated tumor was noted to be in the Spiegel lobe after mobilization of the left lateral section of the liver (Fig. 2A). To reduce liver transection time, a hepatotomy with an anterior approach along the round ligament was performed. Liver transection was performed with the use of a Cavitron ultrasonic aspirator. The anterior transection was soon completed after exposing the left side of the middle hepatic vein and the junction of the middle and left hepatic veins (Fig. 2B). The hilar plate was identified. The left and right portal triads were isolated by exposing Glisson's capsule. Blood vessels to the caudate lobe were ligated and divided without dividing the major branches. The outline of the large tumor together with the caudate lobe was fully exposed. Parenchymal transection was completed by exposing the junction of the middle and left hepatic veins. Segment 4 was then "lifted up" and separated from the caudate lobe (Fig. 2C). The short hepatic veins were divided between the isolated caudate lobe and the inferior vena cava (Fig. 2D). The liver was repositioned (Fig. 2E). The encapsulated tumor remained intact and was delivered with the caudate lobe en bloc (Fig. 2F). The operation time was 520 minutes and the blood loss was 820 mL. Methylene blue leakage test was negative and the cystic duct was ligated. A drain was placed on the transection surface.

 

There was no output from the drain on the first 5 days. After then, 20 mL of bile-stained output was collected daily, signifying mild biliary leakage from the transection surface. The amount of output reduced gradually and the drain was removed 15 days after the surgery. Pathological examination showed a well-differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma. The capsule was intact and the resection margin was 5 mm.

 

Contrast computed tomography of the abdomen was performed 12 months after the surgery, showing no recurrence of the disease (Fig. 3). Liver function remained static and there was no postoperative ascites.

 

 

Caudate lobectomy combined with hepatectomy is generally better than isolated caudate lobectomy in terms of survival outcome, but patients with advanced cirrhosis cannot tolerate a major hepatectomy.^{[6, 7]} Liver transplantation is the best modality but its application is limited due to the shortage of liver grafts. In many transplantation centers, patients with larger tumors are not entitled to deceased donor liver transplantation.^[8] On the other hand, live liver donors are not always available. Transarterial chemoembolization is another treatment option, but it may be less effective for tumors in the caudate lobe because such tumors are usually supplied by different arteries.^{[9, 10]} For the patient in this report, whose liver function was poor as indicated by an indocyanine green retention test, isolated caudate lobectomy seemed to be the only option.^[11]

 

Different approaches to isolated caudate lobectomy have been reported, including the posterior approach with or without total hepatic vascular exclusion described by Yanaga et al,^[12] the left lateral approach described by Colonna et al,^[13] and the anterior approach described by Yamamoto et al.^[4] The anterior approach is technically challenging but it provides best exposure of the liver vasculature. However, a prolonged transection along the Cantlie line would be anticipated on most occasions. The distorted and compressed middle hepatic vein may also be injured during transection. In addition, the larger transection surface for tumor exposure may cause more blood loss, especially in patients with cirrhosis, portal hypertension, thrombocytopenia, or a high international normalized ratio. The transection plane along the junction of the left medial and lateral sections is usually thinner, therefore the anterior approach could simplify the resection. In addition, the approach also provides a quick exposure of the middle and left hepatic veins before their entry into the inferior vena cava. Some measures can be taken to reduce blood loss. At our center, a central venous catheter is inserted in anticipation of a difficult major hepatectomy for closer monitoring of the central venous pressure, which is kept below 5 cmH₂O under vigilant monitoring of fluid input by the anesthesiologist. The central venous pressure can also be lowered by placing the patient in the reverse Tredelunberg position. Intermittent inflow control by the Pringle maneuver would also provide a relatively bloodless operation field during parenchymal transection.^[14]

 

In conclusion, the anterior approach along the left lateral section is a safe and effective method for complete caudate lobectomy. It is a simple and less time-consuming alternative approach for large caudate lobe tumors in patients with cirrhosis.

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