Background: For end-stage hepatic alveolar echinococcosis, insufficient guidance is available regarding surgical treatment, especially for ex vivo liver resection combined with autotransplantation. The indications for this complex surgery require further discussion.
Method: We reviewed 50 cases of patients who underwent ex vivo liver resection combined with autotransplantation from January 2014 to February 2018. A newly developed classification was used to describe vascular infiltration in all patients, who were divided into four groups based on anatomic lesion features and surgical patterns. The surgical planning for ex vivo liver resection combined with autotransplantation is then thoroughly discussed according to the gathered information.
Results: In all patients, the length of the operation and the anhepatic phase were 735 minutes (range, 540-1,170 minutes) and 309 minutes (range, 122-480 minutes), respectively. The median remnant liver volume-to-standard liver volume ratio was 0.58 (range, 0.32-1.11). The rate of complications classified as Clavien-Dindo grade III or higher was 22% (11/50). A total of 3 postoperative deaths occurred. We identified 4 types with distinguished lesion anatomic features. Type I patients required more frequent unconventional reconstruction of the portal vein and bile duct than the other patients. Of the 6 type IV patients, 4 required modification of the surgical protocol according to intraoperative findings.
Conclusion: Vascular infiltration-based classification could improve the anatomic comprehension and, thus, facilitate surgical planning for ex vivo liver resection combined with autotransplantation. Through cautious evaluation of operability, liver function, and residual liver volume, together with delicate operative techniques and careful postoperative management, ex vivo liver resection combined with autotransplantation can achieve good results in the treatment of end-stage hepatic alveolar echinococcosis.
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