[Surgical requirements for radiological diagnostics of liver pathologies].
OBJECTIVE
Radiology is an essential preoperative tool for a liver surgeon to plan extent of resection and potential difficulties during liver surgery.


METHODS
Primary goal in defining liver pathologies is a careful patients' history, a clinical evaluation and reviewing at least one radiological film one could acquire. Don't rely on written reports that may direct you in a useless track. This overview tries to address the essential radiological requests of a surgeon in defining liver tumors ethiology and best optional treatment.


RESULTS
Major advances in radiologic diagnostics led to an improvement in the adequate staging of a given liver pathology. Therefore we are nowadays able to inform our patients about possible treatment options without leaving a big gap to possible intra-operative findings which may alter the therapy. Surgical exploration to define therapeutic strategies becomes fundamental only in a minority of patients with unclear preoperative imaging studies.


CONCLUSIONS
Interdisciplinary groups should define future strategies in a patient with a given liver pathology. Specialisation has defined the hepatobiliary surgeon which should be consulted in case of a liver or biliary tumor to guide possible therapeutic treatment options.
Gruenberger
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Hepatobiliary Service, Abteilung für Allgemeinchirurgie der Medizinischen Universität Wien. thomas.gruenberger@meduniwien.ac.at
D006498:Hepatectomy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery*; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D011379:Prognosis; D011857:Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D025321:Surgery, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*