Safety of laparoscopic compared to open right hepatectomy after portal vein occlusion: results from a multicenter study

Background: Concerns have been expressed about the feasibility of laparoscopic right hepatectomy (Lap-RH) after portal vein occlusion (PVO), because of its technical difficulty. The aim of this study is to assess the safety and feasibility of lap-RH after PVO. Methods: Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from high-volume HPB centers was performed. The peri-operative outcomes of lap-RH were compared to open-RH. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to mitigate the influence of selection bias. Both one-stage and two-stage procedures were considered. Results: Between 01/2010 and 12/2020, 284 patients underwent RH or extended RH after PVO. The laparoscopic approach was used in 63 (22%) cases. Overall, surgeries were mainly performed for colorectal metastases (68.6%). Two-stage procedures were required in one-third of the cases for both groups. After PSM, 126 patients of the open-RH group were matched with 63 patients of the lap-RH group. In the lap-RH group, compared to open-RH, median FLR% post-PVO was larger (39.4% vs 38.5%, p = 0.037), median operation time was longer (360 vs 264 min, p < 0.001), pedicle clamping was used more frequently (79.4% vs 38.9%, p > 0.001), and median blood loss was higher (250 cc vs 200 cc, p = 0.024). Severe intraoperative incidents seldom occurred in both groups (6.3% lap-RH vs 1.6% open-RH, p = 0.208). The overall and severe complication rates were comparable. ISGLS liver failure grade B/C was rare in both groups (3.2% lap-RH vs 4.8% open-RH, p = 0.721). 90-day mortality was 1.6% following either lap-RH or open-RH. Lap-RH allowed a shorter median hospital stay (6 vs 8 days, p = 0.001). R1 resection rate was lower after lap-RH (3.2% vs 16%, p = 0.008). Conclusion: Lap-RH after PVO is safe, although it is technically more demanding than open-RH. This study also suggests some potential benefits of the laparoscopic approach, in terms of a shorter hospital stay and increased rate of radical resections.