[Intraoperative ultrasonography of the liver]

Intraoperative ultrasound is the most recent diagnostic tool in liver surgery. It presents the surgeon with a technique that can provide detailed information about liver tumours and their topography prior to surgery. It also provides very good visualization of the vascular tree of the liver. This article gives a detailed description of the technique of intraoperative ultrasound of the liver. It also presents results from two groups of patients: 30 patients who underwent laparatomy for colorectal cancer (n = 16) or for liver tumours (n = 14) were examined by intraoperative ultrasound of the liver. The results were compared with the observations made by preoperative ultrasound examination. In seven patients the intraoperative ultrasound examination showed liver tumors that had not been detected preoperatively. The intraoperative ultrasound was decisive for the operative strategy in three of the patients treated for liver tumours. In one of the patients operated on for colorectal cancer, in whom the intraoperative ultrasound examination revealed a previously unrecognized metastasis, a liver resection is now planned. Our study confirms that intraoperative ultrasound is a valuable form of examination in patients treated for colorectal cancer and is important for deciding the surgical strategy for patients treated for liver tumours.