ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Central bisegmentectomy (CBS) of the liver is a resection of the medial and anterior segments for preserving more liver parenchyma and reaching the goal of a curative resection simultaneously. PURPOSE: In this paper, we describe the indications and the techniques for this surgical procedure. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We reviewed the case histories of 14 patietns who had undergone a CBS, including 9 with a hepatocellular carcinoma, 4 with hilar bile-duct cancer, 1 with metastatic colon cancer, and 1 with gallbladder cancer. Eight patients had undergone a CBS with an operating time of only 353 minutes; 5 cases had undergone a CBS and a caudate lobectomy plus bile-duct resection, requiring an operating time of 762 minutes. A hepaticojejunostomy to right posterior hepatic duct was added to one CBS case because of intrahepatic ductal variation. The surgical technique for the CBS only procedure was as follows: demarcation of the dissection line with a selective block of the glissonian cord, division of the medial and the lateral segments along the falciform ligament to expose the left hepatic vein, and division of the anterior and the posterior segments along the right hepatic vein. In the combined bile-duct-resection cases, complete dissection of the hepatoduodenal ligament and biliary reconstruction were added. RESULTS: The extent of liver resection, as estimated by CT volumetry, was about 42%, and the mean value of the real weights of the specimens was 474 gm. The preoperative hepatic function showed a 9.3% indocyanine-green retention rate at 15 minutes, and 5 out of 9 hepatocellular carcinoma cases revealed concomitant liver cirrhosis. For CBS and additional procedures, the curative resection rate reached 93%, and the survival rate was favorable. There were no operative mortalities or hepatic failures. CONCLUSIONS: For selected cases of centrally located liver tumors or hilar bile-duct cancer with limited hepatic reserve, CBS may provide a safe, curative resection.