Assessment of hepatic reserve for the indication of hepatic resection: how I do it

This author has personally carried out in excess of 700 major hepatic resections for tumor, and runs a unit with a current resection rate of 200 per year, yet uses no scientific tests designed to judge hepatic reserve. In our unit, we have an advantage in that we deal with a northern European population, with a low rate of viral hepatitis, although alcoholism is becoming an increasing feature within our practice and we are dealing with more elderly patients that in the past, and more who have undergone neoadjuvant chemotherapy. In these patients, there appear to be greater risks of postoperative sepsis and slower regeneration. Approximately 65% of our current resection practice is hemihepatectomy or more and the majority is trisectionectomy (extended hepatectomy) and bilateral resection work. Preoperative, operative, and postoperative factors affect the occurrence of postoperative hepatic failure and these aspects are considered. Case series studies are presented to illustrate the incidence of significant hepatic failure we have encountered.