PURPOSE: There have been several recent reports of laparoscopy-assisted procedure for limited, or a laparoscopic, resections of small lesion of the liver. However, there are few reports on total laparoscopic surgery in anatomic resections, which is due
to high level of skill required for the procedure and the risk of an air embolism. The aim of this study was to determine the safety of total laparoscopic surgery in anatomic liver resections during our early experiences. METHODS: The 6 patients
included in this study were all treated with a totally laparoscopic anatomic resection of the liver at Ewha Womans University, Mokdong Hospital between September 2002 and January 2003. All 6 cases were diagnosed with an intrahepatic duct (IHD) stone,
with stricture and/or common bile duct (CBD) stones. Of these 6 cases, 2 underwent a totally laparoscopic left lateral segmentectomy of the liver. In the remaining 4 cases, totally laparoscopic left lobectomies and CBD explorations, with T-tube
insertion, were performed. In all cases, 4 trocars were used. During the operation, the intraperitoneal pressure of the pneumoperitoneum was maintained between 8 and 12 mmHg using CO(2). The instruments used included Ligasure(R), Autosonix(R), 0 degrees
and 30 degrees camera, fan retractor, Endo(vascular)-GIA 30(R), and a large LapBag(R). All cases were managed in the supine position, with 15 degrees of left tilting. The specimen were extracted through a 4 to 5 cm extension of the upper trocar site.
The T-tube exited through a 12mm site in the right upper port, and a drain was inserted into the sub-hepatic area. RESULTS: The patients comprised of 5 women and a man, with a mean age of 50.2 years old. The mean operative time was 469.2 (+/-141.4)
minutes. In one case, 2 pints of packed red blood cells had to be transfused during the operation. The mean time to diet was 3.3 days. The mean postoperaitve hospital stay was 11.7 days. There was no conversion to open surgery, morbidity or mortality.
The mean extensional incision size for the extraction of the specimen was 4.3 cm. CONCLUSION: In the anatomic resection of the liver, especially for benign liver disease, a total laparoscopic resection could be another relatively safe option for
selected cases.
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