[Surgical requirements for radiological diagnostics of liver pathologies]

Radiology is an essential preoperative tool for a liver surgeon to plan extent of resection and potential difficulties during liver surgery.

Primary goal in defining liver pathologies is a careful patients' history, a clinical evaluation and reviewing at least one radiological film one could acquire. Don't rely on written reports that may direct you in a useless track. This overview tries to address the essential radiological requests of a surgeon in defining liver tumors ethiology and best optional treatment.

Major advances in radiologic diagnostics led to an improvement in the adequate staging of a given liver pathology. Therefore we are nowadays able to inform our patients about possible treatment options without leaving a big gap to possible intra-operative findings which may alter the therapy. Surgical exploration to define therapeutic strategies becomes fundamental only in a minority of patients with unclear preoperative imaging studies.

Interdisciplinary groups should define future strategies in a patient with a given liver pathology. Specialisation has defined the hepatobiliary surgeon which should be consulted in case of a liver or biliary tumor to guide possible therapeutic treatment options.