The role of staging laparoscopy in hepatobiliary malignancy: prospective analysis of 401 cases.
BACKGROUND
Patients with potentially resectable hepatobiliary malignancy are frequently found to have unresectable tumors at laparotomy. We prospectively evaluated staging laparoscopy in patients with resectable disease on preoperative imaging.


METHODS
Staging laparoscopy was performed on 410 patients with potentially resectable hepatobiliary malignancy. The preoperative likelihood of resectability was recorded. Data on preoperative imaging, operative findings, and hospital course were analyzed.


RESULTS
Laparoscopic inspection was complete in 291 (73%) patients. In total, 153 patients (38%) had unresectable disease, 84 of whom were identified laparoscopically, increasing resectability from 62% to 78%. On multivariate analysis, a complete examination, preoperative likelihood of resection, and primary diagnosis were significant predictors of identifying unresectable disease at laparoscopy. The highest yield was for biliary cancers, and the lowest was for metastatic colorectal cancer. In patients with unresectable disease identified at laparoscopy, the mean hospital stay was 3 days, and postoperative morbidity was 9%, compared with 8 days and 27%, respectively, in patients found to have unresectable disease at laparotomy.


CONCLUSIONS
Laparoscopy spared one in five patients a laparotomy while reducing hospital stay and morbidity. Targeting laparoscopy to patients at high risk for unresectable disease requires consideration of disease-specific factors; however, the surgeons' preoperative impression of resectability is also important.
D'Angelica
M
M
Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York 10021, USA.
Fong
Y
Y
Weber
S
S
Gonen
M
M
DeMatteo
R P
RP
Conlon
K
K
Blumgart
L H
LH
Jarnagin
W R
WR
D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001650:Bile Duct Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy; D007813:Laparotomy; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging / Q000379:methods*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome