Portal vein embolization prior to major liver resection.

Background: Portal vein embolization (PVE) induces compensatory hypertrophy of the future liver remnant volume (FLRV) to improve the safety of major liver surgery by reducing the risk of post-operative liver failure. The aim was to describe our experience of PVE for patients with large or multifocal malignant liver tumours who initially were deemed unresectable.

Methods: Perioperative data were retrieved from a prospective database and computed tomographic scans were retrospectively reviewed to calculate volume changes and the degree of liver hypertrophy following PVE.