Total vascular exclusion technique for resection of hepatocellular carcinoma

AIM: To improve the low resection rate, poor prognosis and to control the massive hemorrhage during operation, total vascular exclusion (TVE) technique was used in hepatectomies of advanced and complicated hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs). METHODS: Five hundred and thirty patients with HCCs were admitted in our hospital. They were divided into TVE technique group (group A: n=78), Pringle maneuver method group (group B: n=176) and unresectable group (group C: n=276). The clinical, operative, pathological parameters and outcome of the patients were statistically evaluated. RESULTS: Group A had a significantly higher resection rate than group B (accounting for 47.92% and 33.21% respectively). There was no significant difference in blood loss, blood transfusion and perioperative mortality between groups A and B. Both groups had the similar median disease free survival time (14.6 vs 16.3 months) and 1 year survival rate (92.9% vs 95.5%). The TVE group had a medial survival time of 40.5 months and its 5-year survival rate was 34.6%. CONCLUSION: As compared with Pringle maneuver method, the total vascular exclusion is a safe and effective technique to increase the total resection rate of advanced and complicated HCCs.