Published online Jan 21, 2018. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v24.i3.379
Peer-review started: October 10, 2017
First decision: October 30, 2017
Revised: November 9, 2017
Accepted: November 27, 2017
Article in press: November 27, 2017
Published online: January 21, 2018
Processing time: 102 Days and 3.5 Hours
To evaluate the clinical advantages of single-port laparoscopic hepatectomy (SPLH) compare to multi-port laparoscopic hepatectomy (MPLH).
We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 246 patients who underwent laparoscopic liver resection between January 2008 and December 2015 at our hospital. We divided the surgical technique into two groups; SPLH and MPLH. We performed laparoscopic liver resection for both benign and malignant disease. Major hepatectomy such as right and left hepatectomy was also done with sufficient disease-free margin. The operative time, the volume of blood loss, transfusion rate, and the conversion rate to MPLH or open surgery was evaluated. The post-operative parameters included the meal start date after operation, the number of postoperative days spent in the hospital, and surgical complications was also evaluated.
Of the 246 patients, 155 patients underwent SPLH and 91 patients underwent MPLH. Conversion rate was 22.6% in SPLH and 19.8% in MPLH (P = 0.358). We performed major hepatectomy, which was defined as resection of more than 2 sections, in 13.5% of patients in the SPLH group and in 13.3% of patients in the MPLH group (P = 0.962). Mean operative time was 136.9 ± 89.2 min in the SPLH group and 231.2 ± 149.7 min in the MPLH group (P < 0.001). The amount of blood loss was 385.1 ± 409.3 mL in the SPLH group and 559.9 ± 624.9 mL in the MPLH group (P = 0.016). The safety resection margin did not show a significant difference (0.84 ± 0.84 cm in SPLH vs 1.04 ± 1.22 cm in MPLH, P = 0.704). Enteral feeding was started earlier in the SPLH group (1.06 ± 0.27 d after operation) than in the MPLH group (1.63 ± 1.27 d) (P < 0.001). The mean hospital stay after operation was non-significantly shorter in the SPLH group than in the MPLH group (7.82 ± 2.79 d vs 7.97 ± 3.69 d, P = 0.744). The complication rate was not significantly different (P = 0.397) and there was no major perioperative complication or mortality case in both groups.
Single-port laparoscopic liver surgery seems to be a feasible approach for various kinds of liver diseases.
Core tip: The progress on the laparoscopic technique has led to single-port laparoscopic surgery as a feasible modality in several abdominal surgeries. However, in the field of liver surgery, single-port surgery have been reported sporadically because of its technical difficulties. In this study, we evaluated the feasibility of single-port laparoscopic hepatectomy (SPLH) compared to multi-port laparoscopic hepatectomy (MPLH). The present study showed that SPLH is not inferior to MPLH in terms of surgical and oncological results. Furthermore, left liver surgery, such as left lateral sectionectomy and left hepatectomy, is possible through single-port without any significant deterioration in results if it is performed by an experienced surgeon.