Factors influencing failure of progression to completion hepatectomy following liver venous deprivation procedures (PVE or DVE): a longitudinal observational study.

Background: Two-staged hepatectomy (TSH) with portal (PVE) or dual vein embolization (DVE) gained acceptance in liver surgery. The current study assesses the incidence and causes of failure to progress to completion hepatectomy following PVE/DVE and its influence on overall survival (OS).

Methods: This is a longitudinal observational study of patients who underwent PVE or DVE between April 2010-December 2023. Future liver remnant (FLR) volume was measured at least four weeks later. Restaging and resectability was assessed on imaging performed within 6-8 weeks of planned completion surgery.

Results: 130 patients underwent PVE (90) or DVE (40) during the study period. Of these, 73 (56 %) patients proceeded to definitive resection. Reasons for failure to progress to completion surgery were: disease progression (79 %), declined fitness for surgery (3.5 %) and inadequate FLR volume (14 %). Synchronous disease is a poor prognostic factor for achieving completion hepatectomy CRLM patients (p = 0.009). The median OS with and without completion hepatectomy was 38 months vs. 13 months in CRLM patients (p=<.001) and 31 months vs. 26 months in pCCA groups respectively (p = 0.471).

Conclusion: A significant percentage of patients did not progress to completion hepatectomy due to disease progression. Patient selection and efficient pathways are essential to improve resection rates following these resource-intensive procedures.