Major resections of the liver in patients with high surgical risk

Experience with 75 major anatomic resections of the liver in patients with high surgical risk due to low functional reserve of the liver, spontaneous disruption of hepatic tumor, chronic purulent infection in patients with hepatic abscesses, posttraumatic sequestration of the liver with hemobilia, giant hepatic hemangiomas, old age and severe concomitant diseases was analyzed. General postoperative lethality was 14.7% which was determined mainly by unfavorable outcomes in postoperative patients in spontaneous disruption of tumor and massive intraabdominal bleeding, and also by severe postoperative hepatic insufficiency in patients after right-sided hemihepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma with postnecrotic cirrhosis of the liver. Immediate results of surgery in patients with obstructive jaundice and biliary hepatic cirrhosis were better that ones of patients with postnecrotic cirrhosis. There were no lethal outcomes in group of patients after surgery for giant hemangiomas, abscesses and posttraumatic sequestration of the liver. Thorough selection of patients based on detailed study of functional hepatic reserves and also volume of removed hepatic parenchyma is necessary for improvement of immediate results of surgical treatment. It is valid to perform portal venous embolization before right-sided hemihepatectomy in patients with postnecrotic, biliary cirrhosis, and also in old patients to decrease the risk of postresection hepatic insufficiency. Roentgenondovascular occlusion of the hepatic artery, Cell-Seiver use for intraoperative blood reinfusion and in some cases--use of methods of complete vascular isolation of the liver are indicated for patients with giant hepatic hemangiomas.