Two hundred forty consecutive portal vein embolizations before extended hepatectomy for biliary cancer: surgical outcome and long-term follow-up - PubMed (original) (raw)

Comparative Study

Two hundred forty consecutive portal vein embolizations before extended hepatectomy for biliary cancer: surgical outcome and long-term follow-up

Masato Nagino et al. Ann Surg. 2006 Mar.

Abstract

Objective: To assess clinical benefit of portal vein embolization (PVE) before extended, complex hepatectomy for biliary cancer.

Summary background data: Many investigators have addressed clinical utility of PVE before simple hepatectomy for metastatic liver cancer or hepatocellular carcinoma, but few have reported PVE before hepatectomy for biliary cancer due to the limited number of surgical cases.

Methods: This study involved 240 consecutive patients with biliary cancer (150 cholangiocarcinomas and 90 gallbladder cancers) who underwent PVE before an extended hepatectomy (right or left trisectionectomy or right hepatectomy). All PVEs were performed by the "ipsilateral approach" 2 to 3 weeks before surgery. Hepatic volume and function changes after PVE were analyzed, and the outcome also was reviewed.

Results: There were no procedure-related complications requiring blood transfusion or interventions. Of the 240 patients, 47 (19.6%) did not undergo subsequent hepatectomy. The incidence of unresectability was higher in gallbladder cancer than in cholangiocarcinoma (32.2% versus 12.0%, P < 0.005). The remaining 193 patients (132 cholangiocarcinomas and 61 gallbladder cancers) underwent hepatectomy with resection of the caudate lobe and extrahepatic bile duct (n = 187), pancreatoduodenectomy (n = 42), and/or portal vein resection (n = 63). Seventeen (8.8%) patients died of postoperative complications: mortality was higher in gallbladder cancer than in cholangiocarcinoma (18.0% versus 4.5%, P < 0.05); and it was also higher in patients whose indocyanine green clearance (KICG) of the future liver remnant after PVE was <0.05 than those whose index was >or=0.05 (28.6% versus 5.5%, P < 0.001). The 3- and 5-year survival after hepatectomy was 41.7% and 26.8% in cholangiocarcinoma and 25.3% and 17.1% in gallbladder cancer, respectively (P = 0.011). In 136 other patients with cholangiocarcinoma who underwent a less than 50% resection of the liver without PVE, a mortality of 3.7% and a 5-year survival of 27.6% were observed, which was similar to the 132 patients with cholangiocarcinoma who underwent extended hepatectomy after PVE.

Conclusions: PVE has the potential benefit for patients with advanced biliary cancer who are to undergo extended, complex hepatectomy. Along with the use of PVE, further improvements in surgical techniques and refinements in perioperative management are necessary to make difficult hepatobiliary resections safer.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

None

FIGURE 1. Changes in plasma disappearance rate of indocyanine green (KICG) of the nonembolized (future remnant) lobe before and after portal vein embolization (PVE).

None

FIGURE 2. Association between the surgical outcome and plasma disappearance rate of indocyanine green (KICG) of the nonembolized (future remnant) lobe after portal vein embolization (PVE).

None

FIGURE 3. Survival after hepatectomy.

References

    1. Makuuchi M, Takayasu K, Takuma T, et al. Preoperative transcatheter embolization of the portal venous branch for patients receiving extended lobectomy due to the bile duct carcinoma [in Japanese]. J Jpn Soc Clin Surg. 1984;45:14–20.
    1. Makuuchi M, Thai BL, Takayasu K, et al. Preoperative portal embolization to increase safety major hepatectomy for hilar bile duct carcinoma: a preliminary report. Surgery. 1990;107:521–527. - PubMed
    1. Kinoshita H, Sakai K, Hirohashi K, et al. Preoperative portal vein embolization for hepatocellular carcinoma. World J Surg. 1986;10:803–808. - PubMed
    1. Nagino M, Nimura Y, Kamiya J, et al. Selective percutaneous transhepatic embolization of the portal vein in preparation for extensive liver resection: the ipsilateral approach. Radiology. 1996;200:559–563. - PubMed
    1. Nagino M, Nimura Y, Kamiya J, et al. Right or left trisegment portal vein embolization before hepatic trisegmentectomy for hilar bile duct carcinoma. Surgery. 1995;117:677–681. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources