Hepatic resection under the guidance of B-mode ultrasonography

From Dec. 1987 to June 1988, we performed hepatic resection on 8 cases of primary liver cancer and 10 cases of benign liver tumor under the guidance of B-mode ultrasound. Of 18 cases, 2 received right hemihepatectomy, 5 underwent left hemihepatectomy or left lateral lobectomy, 9 had segmentectomy and 2 were treated by tumor removal. There was no operative death. Postoperatively, pleural effusion occurred in 3 cases and biliary fistula in 2 cases. The hospitalization time was 14-52 days with a mean of 29 days. Our results showed that the intraoperative B-mode ultrasound could not only demonstrate the number, size and boundary of lesions but also exhibit the location and orientation of the intrahepatic conduit system and its 3-dimensional relation with the lesions. It is very helpful in dealing with the intrahepatic vessels and ducts.