[Total vascular exclusion in liver surgery]

II cases of major hepatic resections under total vascular isolation (TVA) are presented: 4 women and 7 men, age between 17 and 70 years (mean 39.6 years). In another 2 cases the method was abandoned because the patients did not tolerate the vena cava clamping. The main indication for TVA were large tumors located near the suprahepatic veins opening into the vena cava. The diagnosis in the 11 cases was: hepatocellular carcinoma--3 cases, cholangiocarcinoma--1 case, colo-rectal metastasis--1 case, hemangioma--3 cases, hamartoma--2 cases, diffuse suppuration of the right lobe--1 case. The warm ischemia time was between 25 and 50 min (mean: 36.8 min). There were no intraoperative complications. The mean quantity of transfused blood was 450 ml. Postoperatively two patients bled and were reoperated. Both subsequently developed liver failure and died and in both cases microscopy found histologic lesions of chronic hepatitis. The mortality was then 18.1%. Six patients (54.5%) developed postoperative complications. Worth noting are 2 cases of transient liver failure, both in patients with cancer. The ICU stay was between 2 and 14 days (mean 7.1) and the whole postoperative hospitalization was between 11 and 46 days (mean: 16).