Splenic arterial ligation prevents liver injury after a major hepatectomy by a reduction of surplus portal hypertension in hepatocellular carcinoma patients with cirrhosis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: In this study, we investigated whether a reduction of surplus portal hypertension after a major hepatectomy by SPL (splenic arterial ligation) prevents a liver injury in cirrhotic patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

METHODOLOGY: Six hepatocellular carcinoma patients (SPL group) with liver cirrhosis (67 +/- 10 years old, ICGR15: 21.0 +/- 9.8%, T.Bil: 1.1 +/- 1.2 mg/dL) underwent major hepatectomy with splenic arterial ligation in order to reduce excessive portal hypertension after hepatectomy from 1998 to 2000, July. The patients (n = 15, 60 +/- 9 years old, ICGR15: 11.5 +/- 5.9%, T.Bil: 0.66 +/- 0.15 mg/dL) who underwent liver resection above subsegmentectomy in the same period (control group) served as the control for SPL group.

RESULTS: In the SPL group, the portal pressures before hepatectomy were 26 +/- 7 cm H2O and those after hepatectomy were 29 +/- 6 cm H2O. The portal pressure after splenic arterial ligation decreased to 24.5 +/- 6.3 cm H2O. The splenic tissue blood flows before SPL were 16.8 +/- 5.6 mL/min/100 g, while those after SPL were 7.2 +/- 2.2 mL/min/100 g. The portal pressures before hepatectomy were 17 +/- 2 cm H2O and those after hepatectomy were 19 +/- 2 cm H2O in the six control patients. At the peak levels of liver function after surgery, T.Bil was 2.6 +/- 1.5 mg/dL, GOT was 165 +/- 59 IU/L, and GPT was 107 +/- 49 IU/L. All patients could discharge without complications except for one case with bile leakage in SPL. At the peak levels of liver function in control group, T.Bil was 3.7 +/- 1.9 mg/dL, GOT was 404 +/- 227 IU/L, and GPT was 322 +/- 171 IU/L. At the peak levels of liver function after surgery, T.Bil was 3.4 +/- 1.3 mg/dL, GOT was 398 +/- 289 IU/L, and GPT was 319 +/- 220 IU/L. Conversely, there were 11 episodes of complications (11/15), including two cases of hospital death resulting from liver failure in patients who underwent right lobectomy, in the control patients.

CONCLUSIONS: The decompression of surplus portal hypertension by SPL might be effective in the prevention of post hepatectomized liver injury and the improvement of postoperative mortality and morbidity.