Safety and efficacy of minimally invasive associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy (ALPPS): a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Liver malignancies present substantial challenges to surgeons due to the extensive hepatic resections required, frequently resulting in posthepatectomy liver failure. Associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy (ALPPS) was designed to increase the resectable liver volume, yet it is associated with significant mortality and morbidity rates. Recently, minimally invasive techniques have been incorporated into ALPPS, with the potential to improve the procedure's safety profile whilst maintaining efficacy.

Materials And Methods: This PRISMA-adherent systematic review involved a systematic search of PubMed, Embase and Cochrane for all interventional studies that evaluated the operative outcomes of minimally invasive ALPPS compared to open ALPPS. Two independent reviewers appraised and extracted the summary data from published studies. Random effects meta-analyses were used for primary analysis.

Results: Nine studies with 637 patients undergoing ALPPS were included. Meta-analyses indicated a statistically significant decreased risk of 90-day mortality (RR = 0.48, 95%CI: 0.29;0.80) and decreased overall length of hospital stay (MD = -8, 95%CI: -11.25;-4.74) in patients undergoing minimally invasive ALPPS compared to patients undergoing open ALPPS. No significant differences in terms of the rate of future liver remnant growth (MD = 11.37, 95%CI: -4.02;26.77) and risk of posthepatectomy liver failure (RR = 0.52, 95%CI: 0.09;2.97) were identified. Subgroup analyses identified a trend in lowering the risk of posthepatectomy liver failure in patients undergoing laparoscopic ALPPS compared to robotic ALPPS. In terms of oncologic surgical outcomes, 92% of patients undergoing minimally invasive ALPPS achieved negative margin resections, while 86% of patients undergoing open ALPPS achieved negative margin resections.

Conclusion: This systematic review and meta-analysis provide evidence that minimally invasive ALPPS offers a safer alternative with reduced mortality and shorter hospital stays, while maintaining comparable efficacy in liver remnant growth and R0 resections. These findings highlight the potential of minimally invasive techniques to combat the criticism that ALPPS has been placed under.