Fluorescent Laparoscopic Central Hepatectomy for Liver Cancer Using Indocyanine Green Negative Staining

Summary

The present protocol describes fluorescent negative staining in laparoscopic central hepatectomy. This technique can make hepatectomy more accurate and precise.

Abstract

Laparoscopic hepatectomy is an important treatment method for liver cancer. In the past, the resection boundary was usually determined by intraoperative ultrasound, important vascular structures, and surgeon experience. With the development of anatomical hepatectomy, visual surgery technology has gradually been applied to this type of surgery, particularly indocyanine green (ICG)-guided anatomical hepatectomy. As ICG can be specifically ingested by hepatocytes and used for fluorescence tracing, negative staining techniques have been applied according to different tumor positions. Under ICG fluorescent guidance, the surface boundary and deep resection plane can be more accurately displayed during liver resection. Thus, the tumor-bearing liver segment can be anatomically removed, which helps to avoid damage to important vessels and reduce ischemia or congestion of the remaining liver tissue. Finally, the incidence of postoperative biliary fistula and liver dysfunction is reduced; therefore, a better prognosis is obtained after the resection of liver cancer. Centrally located liver cancer is usually defined as a tumor located at segments 4, 5, or 8 that requires resection of the middle section of the liver. These are among the most difficult hepatectomies to perform because of the large surgical wounds and multiple vessel transections. Based on the specific tumor location, we formulated the required resection ranges by designing personalized fluorescent staining strategies. By completing anatomical resection based on the portal territory, this work aims to achieve the best therapeutic effect.

Introduction

Central hepatectomy is the main surgical method used to treat liver malignancies located in segments 4, 5, and 8^1,2. Standard central hepatectomy requires the complete resection of these segments, which necessitates exposing the sagittal portion, middle hepatic vein (MHV), and right hepatic vein (RHV)³. Segments 4, 5, and 8 belong to the category of central hepatectomy².

With the advancement of precision liver surgery, anatomical hepatectomy has developed rapidly. However, the method to accurately determine the resection plane of hepat....

Protocol

This protocol follows the guidelines of the human research ethics committee of Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University. Written informed consent was obtained from the patients for performing this study.

1. Patient selection

1. Select patients with a malignant tumor in the middle section of the liver, including patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC).
2. Ensure that these patients show no invasion of t.......

Discussion

Anatomical hepatectomy is based on portal territory, and its therapeutic effect on liver cancer is still being explored. The theoretical basis for this is that the spread of liver cancer along the portal vein is the main reason for its recurrence and metastasis¹⁸. In the 20th century, Makuuchi first proposed anatomical hepatectomy from the initial open portal vein puncture with methylene blue staining, revealing the landmark hepatic veins, which has advanced to the current preoperative analysis of.......

Materials

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
BK Flex Focus 800	BK Medical	8666-RF	Intraoperative ultrasound
Entecavir	Bristol Myers Squibb	H20052237	Antiviral drugs
Hakko Sonoguide PTC Needle	Hakko-medical	PTC-B 18G/20G	Portal vein puncture
Indocyanine green	Dandong Yichuang Pharmaceutical	0902007 GH102	Fluorescent dye
PINPOINT Endoscopic Fluorescence Imaging System	Stryker	PC9000	Fluorescent laparoscope
Tenofovir	GILEAD	H20180060	Antiviral drugs
Trocar	Ethicon Endo-Surgery	B5LT/B12LT	Trocar