[Comparison of open and laparoscopic minor liver resections for malignant tumours - based on the experience of the...

Laparoscopic resection of liver malignancies is gaining acceptance. Besides the advantages of minimally-invasive techniques, publications so far show no oncologic compromise of laparoscopy.

Our aim was to compare the results of our first fifty laparoscopic minor liver resections with traditional open procedures.

We investigated laparoscopic and open minor liver resections performed in our institute between 01. 01. 2013 and 31. 03. 2017. Data were analysed retrospectively. Resection of maximum two segments was considered a minor resection. We compared the number of resected segments, intraoperative blood loss, operative time, 30 day morbidity and mortality, hospital stay, R1 resection ratio and resection margin width.

During the given period, 123 open and 55 laparoscopic minor liver resections of malignant liver tumours were performed. Open and laparoscopic groups were similar considering age, sex and health status. The ratio of bi-segmentectomies was significantly higher in the open group (p<0.001). Operation time (p = 0.91) and peri-operative transfusion ratio did not differ in the two groups (p = 0.102). 30 day morbidity and mortality were consistent (p = 0.50; p = 0.34), but patients in the laparoscopic group spent shorter time in hospital (p = 0.0001). The average width of resection margins and the ratio of R1 resections showed no difference between open and laparoscopic groups (p = 0.447; p = 0.263).

Our investigation indicates that in malignant liver tumours, laparoscopic resection significantly shortens hospital stay without oncologic compromise, even though 30 day morbidity and mortality does not show difference. We conclude that laparoscopic minor resection of malignant liver tumours is safe and feasible. Orv Hetil. 2019; 160(3): 104-111.