Significance of Preoperative Portal Vein Emblization of Cirrhotic Liver for Major Hepatectomy

ABSTRACT

Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma are often combined with liver cirrhosis, which limits the extent of liver resection. We evaluated the effect of preoperative portal vein embolization (PVE) on perioperative course of major hepatectomy of cirrhotic livers. A case-controlled study categorized by PVE and liver cirrhosis was perfomed in 63 cases undergone right lobectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma. The cirrhotic PVE group showed the following changes before and after PVE, respectively; indocyanine green 15 minutes retention rate of 7.5% and 9.1%, left lobe volume of 433.8 ml and 461.5 ml, and portal pressures of 13.0 mmHg and 18.8 mmHg. The non-cirrhotic PVE group showed a smaller increase in the portal pressure after PVE. There were no PVE-related complications. Postoperative changes in the remnant liver volume at 2 weeks and 3 months showed no significant differences between the cirrhotic PVE and the cirrhotic non-PVE groups. Postoperative bleeding and hepatic failure occurred in 5.3% versus 22.7% and additional hepatic decompensation at postoperative 3 months was found in 10.5% versus 18.2% of the cirrhotic PVE and the cirrhotic non-PVE groups, respectively. The mean size of the tumor in mortality cases was 3.8 cm, and there was no mortality in PVE cases with a tumor less than 5 cm. PVE of a functionally preserved cirrhotic liver was a safe procedure and lowered liver function-related complications, which may be at least partially due to atrophy-hypertrophy of the liver parenchyme and to the attenuated portal pressure change following right lobectomy after PVE. Conclusively, preoperative PVE may provide safety after major hepatectomy for the patients with cirrhotic livers or small-sized tumors.