Laparoscopic liver resection in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma

Laparoscopic liver resection is an emerging technique in liver surgery. Although laparoscopy is well established for several abdominal procedures and is considered by some the preferred approach, laparoscopic hepatic resection has been introduced into clinical practice more widely since 2000. These procedures are performed only in experienced centers and only in a select group of patients. While initially performed only for benign hepatic lesions, the indications for laparoscopic resection have gradually broadened to encompass all kinds of malignant hepatic lesions, including hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with cirrhosis, for whom the advantages of the minimally invasive approach may be most evident.