[Management of complications after liver resection]

Abstract

Hepatic resections represent a standard procedure for both benign and malignant liver diseases. Nevertheless, typical complications arise follow-ing hepatic surgery. Besides common problems, such as bile leakage or impaired wound healing, rare complications, like progressive liver failure or portal vein thrombosis are observed. Mortality and morbidity after liver resection depend on the preoperative constitution of the patient, on the state of the liver parenchyma and on the re-main-ing liver volume. In particular, a marked steatosis increases both morbidity and mortality of hepatic resections. The advances of modern chemotherapy increases the number of surgical patients, who were previously not resectable. However, the chemotherapy induced hepatotoxicity implies additional problems, thus increasing the morbidity of liver resections. Therefore, before planning hepatic surgery, the individual situation of the patient has to be evaluated in order to maximise the security of the operative procedure.