Right hepatectomies without vascular clamping: report of 87 cases.
OBJECTIVE
Portal triad clamping and total or intermittent hepatic vascular exclusion are usually used to reduce blood loss during major liver resections. We report, in this retrospective study, the results of right hepatectomy without vascular clamping.


METHODS
From January 1986 to July 2001, 87 right hepatectomies, including 14 extended right hepatectomies, were performed without vascular clamping. There was 53 men and 34 women, with a mean age of 60.2 +/- 12.5 years. Indications were 58 metastases, 16 hepatocellular carcinomas, 5 cholangiocarcinomas, 4 adenomas, 3 angiomas, and 1 carcinoid tumor. All the procedures were carried out using an ultrasonic dissector and intraoperative ultrasonography with only vascular control (looping of the hepatic pedicle and supra; and infrahepatic vena cava).


RESULTS
There were four postoperative deaths and 23 complications (26%), including hepatocellular failure (6), pulmonary complications (6), transient bile leakage (5), digestive bleeding (2), subphrenic abscess (1), inferior vena cava (IVC) thrombosis (1), disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC; 1), and evisceration (1). Forty-two patients (48%) had no blood transfusion. The mean blood transfusion requirement was 1.5 +/- 2.7 units. The mean operative length was 280 +/- 60 min and the mean hospital stay was 12.8 +/- 8.1 days. Liver function test results were similar to those in other studies on days 1, 4, and 7 postoperatively, with a return to normal values after 1 week.


CONCLUSIONS
In our experience with major liver resections, vascular clamping is not necessary.
Descottes
B
B
Department of Visceral Surgery and Transplantation, Dupytren University Hospital, 2 Avenue Martin Luther King, 87042 Limoges Cedex, France.
Lachachi
F
F
Durand-Fontanier
S
S
Geballa
R
R
Atmani
A
A
Maisonnette
F
F
Sodji
M
M
Valleix
D
D
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001650:Bile Duct Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D001653:Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic; D016063:Blood Loss, Surgical / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000601:surgery*; D018281:Cholangiocarcinoma / Q000601:surgery; D003250:Constriction; D005260:Female; D006498:Hepatectomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies