[Extracorporeal surgery and liver autotransplantation]

Abstract

Background: Though the great majority of hepatic and perihepatic neoplasms may very well be treated by conventional surgical techniques, a few patients will have lesions seemingly inaccessible by traditional in situ surgical procedures.

Material and method: We present two patients with retrohepatic sarcoma and liver haemangioma respectively, treated by hepatectomy, ex situ resection and hepatic autotransplantation.

Results: The first patient, a 64-year-old man, had a completely uneventful postoperative course and had no indication of recurrent sarcoma two years later. The second patient, a 29-year-old female with a giant hepatic haemangioma developed postoperative hepatic artery thrombosis. Following thrombectomy her further course was satisfactory and the patient was discharged with normal liver function three weeks postoperatively.

Interpretation: Ex situ liver surgery (bench surgery) with liver autotransplantation should be considered when traditional in situ surgery on the liver or adjacent structures is not applicable.