Abstract:
Objective To explore the correlation between standard remnant liver volume (SRLV) and post-hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cirrhotic livers.
Methods In total, 181 patients who underwent hemihepatectomy in Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University from September 2013 to August 2016 were enrolled in the study. Total liver, tumor, remnant liver, and resected liver volumes were measured using the Myrian liver surgical planning system before surgery. Intraoperative resected liver volume (including resected normal liver and tumor volumes) were collected using the drainage method. The patients were divided into the PHLF (22 cases) and non-PHLF groups (159 cases) according to whether PHLF occurred based on the "50/50" criteria. The risk factors of PHLF were then explored. The cut-off of SRLV and efficiency of predicting PHLF were analyzed in the subgroup of patients with cirrhotic livers. The grade of liver cirrhosis was retrospectively analyzed using helical computed tomography (CT).
Results Twenty-two of the 181 patients developed PHLF and one died of it. Preoperative total bilirubin levels and SRLV were identified as independent factors for predicting PHLF using a Logistic regression model. In total, 102 patients with cirrhotic livers were selected in subgroup analysis based on postoperative cirrhotic pathology. Eighteen patients developed PHLF and one died of PHLF in the subgroup. Using receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, 340 mL/m2 was the cut-off of SRLV for patients with HCC and cirrhotic livers (area under the curve: 0.861, P < 0.01; sensitivity and specialty rates were 94.4% and 74.7%, respectively). Eighty-four cases were of grade Ⅰ or Ⅱ cirrhosis, 18 cases were of grade Ⅲ cirrhosis, and there were no cases of grade Ⅳ cirrhosis based on retrospective analysis using helical CT.
Conclusions Patients with cirrhotic livers with an anticipated SRLV of ≤340 mL/m2 after hepatic resection are at increased risk for PHLF after emihepatectomy.