Surgery of the tumours of the liver.

Background: Recent decades have seen new methods of resection techniques which have contributed to improved results.

Aim: To provide a review of state-of-the-art knowledge of surgical treatment of liver tumours. The clinical material is analyzed.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of the patients of clinical department of surgery of the university hospital. A representative group of patients could be studied in years 1998-2001 when the ultrasonic (harmonic) scalpel became available for liver resection in our patients.

Results: The study consists of 99 patients with an average age of 59 years. Haemangioma was the most common benign tumour (7 cases) and hepatocellular carcinoma was the most frequent primary malignancy (18 cases). The prevailing cause among secondary malignant liver masses was metastasis of colorectal carcinoma (20 cases). The most frequently used anatomical resections were right hemihepatectomy or left hemihepatectomy and bisegmentectomy in 18 and 14 patients respectively. Local complications occurred in 17% and systemic complications in 6% of patients. There were no postoperative deaths.

Conclusion: Liver resection, either anatomical or non anatomical, remains the golden standard among the methods of treatment of hepatic tumours. New techniques have contributed to the traditional hepatic resection. The authors' group showed promising short term results. (Tab. 7, Ref. 31.).