Extensive Liver Resection: a Series of 72 Cases
Moshe Hashmonai, Doron Kopelman, Ahmed Assalia, Yoram Klein, Hani Bahus, Alex Beny, Yaakov Baruch
Depts. of Surgery B, Oncology and Unit for Liver Diseases, Rambam Medical Center and Technion Faculty of Medicine, Haifa
Partial liver resection is the treatment of choice for various liver diseases, including primary and secondary (metastatic) malignancies, benign tumors, cysts, abscesses, trauma, etc. Improved knowledge of hepatic anatomy and physiology, improved diagnostic techniques and more developed peri-operative treatment have reduced postoperative morbidity and mortality to acceptable levels.
We present a series of 72 liver resections, the majority of which were liver lobectomies or more extensive procedures performed during 1982-1997. The percentage of postoperative complications, which ranged from 1.3% to 19.4%, and mortality (8.3%; 6/72) are comparable to those of other large series in the world literature. We believe that better appreciation of the surgical potential of Israel by our medical community will improve our therapeutic approach to various liver diseases.