Application value of computer-assisted surgery system in pediatric hepatic hemangioma

To explore the treatment of pediatric hepatic hemangioma and the role of the Hisense computer-assisted surgery (Hisense CAS) system in diagnosis and treatment.

We collected the clinical and follow-up data of all pediatric hepatic hemangioma cases in our pediatric surgery department from March 2008 to March 2021 for retrospective analysis. The Hisense CAS system was used to create three-dimensional (3D) reconstructions based on computed tomography data.

There were 71 patients, mainly infants (prenatal to 39 months). There were more males than females (42 vs. 29), and the alpha-fetoprotein level was significantly increased in 8 cases. 3D reconstruction by the Hisense CAS system showed that hepatic artery tracking was helpful for the differential diagnosis of pediatric hepatic hemangioma. Twenty-three children treated with propranolol showed significant differences in the tumour diameter, volume, and tumour-to-liver volume ratio after treatment (all P < 0.05). Compared with early surgical treatment, the curative effect of this approach was obvious.

As a non-surgical treatment for symptomatic pediatric hepatic hemangioma, propranolol can replace surgical resection to a certain extent and reduce the proportion of children who need surgical intervention. Hisense CAS has advantages in evaluating the tumour volume before and after propranolol treatment. The liver volume and the liver tumour volume percentage provide new perspectives for evaluating the tumour outcome.