Current status of hepatic surgery in Korea

Since the first liver resection was carried out in Korea in 1959, there have been remarkable changes in the field of surgery. With technical advancement and the improvement of perioperative care, liver resections are widely performed and surgical mortality is approaching zero. In the early 1990s, liver transplantation evolved as a feasible option in the treatment of end-stage liver disease in Korea, with successful adult living-donor liver transplantation (LDLT) as one of the greatest achievements. Various innovations in surgical approaches have been introduced. We review the current status of hepatic surgery in liver disease in Korea.