ALPPS in right trisectionectomy: a safe procedure to avoid postoperative liver failure?

Abstract

Introduction: To induce rapid hepatic hypertrophy and to reduce post-hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF), associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy (ALPPS) has been recently developed for patients with a limited future liver remnant. The aim of this study was to further assess the perioperative risk of this procedure and its specific indications.

Patients and methods: The study was performed between November 2010 and April 2012 for patients undergoing right trisectionectomy by the ALPPS approach. Liver volume, intra- and postoperative complications, including PHLF, and residual tumour status were compared for patients with different diagnoses.

Results: The interval between two operations in nine patients undergoing ALPPS was 13 days (median). Sufficient hepatic hypertrophy was achieved with a volume gain of 87.2 % (median). All patients underwent right trisectionectomy without residual tumours. In contrast to six patients with uneventful intra- and postoperative course, bile leak, vancomycin-resistant enterococcus infection, PHLF and sepsis developed in two of three patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma as the preoperative diagnosis.

Conclusion: ALPPS leads to sufficient hepatic hypertrophy within 2 weeks, avoiding PHLF in most patients. In patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma, ALPPS should be applied with extreme caution due to high morbidity and mortality.