Thoracoscopic hepatectomy by the diaphragm approach for the treatment of liver tumors / 中华普通外科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To study the safety,feasibility and efficacy of trans-diaphragm thoracoscopic hepatectomy for liver carcinoma.Methods Thoracoscopic hepatectomy was performed in 5 cases with single liver neoplasm from Jan 2016 to Aug 2018,including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in 4 cases and metastatic liver cancer in 1 case.During the operation,the diaphragm just above the tumor was opened.Then we completely removed the tumor.After meticulous hemostasis of cut surface,the diaphragm was closed.A thoracic drain was placed.Results Thoracoscopic hepatectomy was performed successfully in all 5 cases,the median total operating time was 140 min (120-230 min),and the median blood loss was 300 ml (200-500 ml),Patients recovered quickly.One patient had pleural effusion and recovered after chest drainage.There were not other major post-operative complications.During 6 to 31 months' follow-up,one patient was lost to follow-up,two patients were survival with tumor recurrence,two patients were recurrence free.Conclusions Thoracoscopic hepatectomy is a safe and feasible operation in selected liver cancer patients and has advantages in post-operative recovery.