Hepatic artery ligation

The use of hepatic artery ligation (HAL) in various clinical situations is illustrated by presenting a series of eight patients. The indications for HAL included ruptured hepatic tumors, spontaneous liver rupture, delayed hemorrhage after liver trauma, hematobilia, hepatic artery aneurysm, and hemorrhage after liver biopsy. Conventional methods of hemostasis had been used in some of these patients, but failed to control hemorrhage. The reasons for the relatively late adoption of hepatic artery ligation in treating liver hemorrhage are discussed and placed in proper prospective. Hepatic artery ligation has been shown to be such an effective method of controlling hemorrhage from the liver that other methods, such as packing and mass suture, which are unsafe and ineffective, should be abandoned. Major resection should be done only when an entire lobe of the liver is reduced to pulp or when exposure and repair of the retrohepatic vena cava are necessary.