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. 2025 Mar;39(3):2004-2015.
doi: 10.1007/s00464-025-11576-w. Epub 2025 Jan 30.

Indications for and limitations of laparoscopic anatomical liver resection: assessment of postoperative complications stratified by complexity of liver resection

Genki Watanabe  1 , Akishige Kanazawa  2 , Shintaro Kodai  2 , Atsushi Ishihara  2 , Daisuke Nagashima  2 , Tetsuzo Tashima  2 , Akihiro Murata  2 , Sadatoshi Shimizu  2 , Tadashi Tsukamoto  2
Affiliations

Indications for and limitations of laparoscopic anatomical liver resection: assessment of postoperative complications stratified by complexity of liver resection

Genki Watanabe et al. Surg Endosc. 2025 Mar.

Abstract

Background: Although complex anatomical liver resections are more often being performed laparoscopically, the short-term outcomes following laparoscopic anatomical liver resection (LALR), its optimal indications, and limitations remain unclear. This study aimed to clarify the indications for and limitations of LALR by assessing the short-term outcomes.

Methods: This retrospective study included 233 patients who underwent LALR. The complexity of LALR was categorized into three levels: Grade I (low), grade II (moderate), and grade III (high). Short-term outcomes were compared among these groups, and the risk factors for severe morbidity were identified.

Results: The patients' backgrounds were similar across the three groups. Intraoperative blood loss, Pringle maneuver time, and postoperative hospital stay were comparable between grade I (n = 59) and grade II (n = 65) LALR but were greater for grade III (n = 109). The transfusion and conversion rates were similar among the three groups. The operative time increased with the rise in difficulty grade. The rate of severe morbidity was 3.4% in grade I, 6.2% in grade II, and 16.5% in grade III LALR (P = 0.012). Multivariable analysis identified three perioperative risk factors for severe morbidity: Operative time of ≥ 540 min (odds ratio [OR] = 4.762, P = 0.009), intraoperative blood loss of ≥ 350 mL (OR = 3.982, P = 0.024), and preoperative serum albumin of ≤ 3.8 g/dL (OR = 3.518, P = 0.035).

Conclusions: Grade II LALR can be performed with the same level of safety as grade I LALR. However, grade III LALR has a higher complication rate than grades I and II LALR, and the risk increases further due to longer operative time and greater blood loss.

Keywords: Anatomical liver resection; Laparoscopic liver resection; Severe morbidity.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Disclosures: Drs. Genki Watanabe, Akishige Kanazawa, Shintaro Kodai, Atsushi Ishihara, Daisuke Nagashima, Tetsuzo Tashima, Akihiro Murata, Sadatoshi Shimizu, and Tadashi Tsukamoto have no conflicts of interest or financial ties to disclose.

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