The Effect of Three-Dimensional Preoperative Simulation on Liver Surgery

Area of Science:

• Surgical Innovation
• Medical Imaging
• Hepatobiliary Surgery

Background:

• Three-dimensional (3D) simulation is increasingly utilized in liver surgery.
• The clinical impact of 3D simulation on surgical outcomes remains under-investigated.
• This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of 3D simulation in liver resection procedures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effect of three-dimensional (3D) preoperative simulation on perioperative outcomes in liver surgery.
• To compare surgical outcomes between patients who underwent 3D simulation and those who did not.
• To assess the accuracy of predicted liver volume in 3D simulation.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 240 liver resection patients.
• Division into two groups: 120 with 3D preoperative simulation and 120 without.
• Comparison of perioperative outcomes including operation time, blood loss, liver enzyme levels, hospital stay, complications, and mortality.

Main Results:

• Median operation time was significantly shorter by 36 minutes in the 3D simulation group (P=0.048).
• Subgroup analysis showed reduced operation time for repeated hepatectomy and segmentectomy in the 3D group (P=0.03).
• High correlation observed between predicted and actual resected liver volume (r=0.80, P<0.001).

Conclusions:

• Three-dimensional (3D) preoperative simulation can decrease operation time in liver surgery.
• The benefits of 3D simulation are particularly notable in repeated hepatectomy and segmentectomy procedures.
• 3D simulation accurately predicts resected liver volume, aiding surgical planning.