The Usefulness of Hepatic Resection by Trans-thoracic Route for Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Liver Cirrhosis

Seizo Masutani*, Yo Sasaki, Shingi Imaoka, Shouji Nakamori, Masao Kameyama, Hiroaki Ohigashi, Masahiro Hiratsuka, Toshiyuki Kabuto, Osamu Ishikawa, Hiroshi Furukawa, Takeshi Iwanaga

The Department of Surgical Oncology, The Center for Adult Diseases
*The Department of Surgery, Sakai Municipal Hospital

The usefulness of hepatic resection by the trans-thoracic route for hepatocellular carcinoma with cirrhosis in the postero-superior subsegment (S7) was assessed. Twenty patients underwent hepatic resection by this procedure (Group A), and another 33 patients underwent resection by the transabdominal route (Group B) without thoracotomy. Thoracotomy was done in the 7th intercostal space. The volume of bleeding and transfusion during the operations was significantly less in group A than in group B (p<0.05). In case of partial resection or subsegmentectomy, the mean surgical margin of group A was 1.0 cm, significantly wider than that of group B, which was 0.4 cm (p<0.05). No severe pulmonary complications occurred in either group. It was concluded that hepatic resection by the trans-thoracic route was very useful for hepatocellular carcinoma with cirrhosis in subsegment S7 of the liver.

Key words
hepatocellular carcinoma, hepatic resection by trans-thoracic route, liver cirrhosis

Reprint requests
Yo Sasaki Department of Surgery, The Center for Adult Diseases, Osaka
1-3-3 Nakamichi, Higashinari-ku, Osaka, 537 JAPAN

Accepted
March 8, 1995

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