Laparoscopic Liver Resection: A 7-Year Experience of 123 Resections in a Single Institution

Abstract

There has been a significant increase in the use of laparoscopic liver resection (LLR) over the past 2 decades. This study aimed to analyze the outcomes associated with LLR at a single tertiary care hospital. Patients with benign or malignant tumors who underwent LLR by a single surgeon from January 2012 to November 2019 were identified. There were 123 patients who underwent LLR in the study period; 52% were men, and the median age was 61 (24-90) years. Five patients (4.1%) had unplanned conversion to open resection. Ninety-five patients (77.2%) had a wedge resection or single segmentectomy, and 28 (22.8%) underwent resection of 2+ liver segments. Seventy-one cases (57.7%) were for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), 24 (19.5%) for colorectal metastasis, and 28 (22.8%) were for other benign and malignant tumors. Median operative time was 239 (range 89-526) minutes. Mean estimated blood loss was 192 (range 0-1800) mL. The median length of stay (LOS) overall was 2 (range 0-9) days. From 2017 to 2019, the mean LOS was 1.2 days, compared to a mean LOS of 3.3 days from 2012 to 2016. More cases were performed as same-day surgery from 2017 onward; 19 patients (33.9%) had same-day surgery from 2017 to 2019, in comparison to only 1 patient (1.5%) in the period of 2012-2016 (P < .0001). Overall, 28 patients (22.8%) experienced postoperative morbidity; major postoperative morbidity occurred in 4 patients (3.3%). The 90-day mortality was .8%, and the 30-day readmission rate was 5.7%. In conclusion, LLR can be performed safely to treat liver tumors, and LOS decreased over time. Although overall morbidity is moderate, serious morbidity is low, as was the readmission rate. Laparoscopic wedge resection may be a feasible option as an outpatient procedure in select patients.