Laparoscopic Hepatic Caudate Lobectomy

Thomas J. VanderMeer, MD, FACS

Product Details
Product ID: ACS-2288
Year Produced: 2003
Length: 10 min.


The Caudate lobe of the liver is a complex structure that poses technical and oncologic surgical challenges. It is described as being independent of the portal division and the three main hepatic veins. Isolated caudate lobe resection is a feasible procedure that can be done with low morbidity and mortality. Despite the recent advances in laparoscopic techniques and instrumentation, minimally invasive liver surgery is still limited to the anterior segment of the liver and isolated laparoscopic caudate lobe resections have not been reported. The patient is a 37 year old who presented with abdominal bloating. Computerized tomography of the abdomen showed a 2.5 cm exophytic mass arising from the caudate lobe. Tagged red blood cell labeled scans confirmed the presence of a hemangioma and the lesion was followed. Six months later, the hemangioma was noted to increase in size to 4 cm and resection was recommended because of enlargement and the feeling that the exophytic nature of the lesion may predispose to rupture. Three trocars were placed initially; an infra-umbilical camera port, a left and right upper quadrant working ports. The falciform ligament was divided with the harmonic scalpel and the liver retractor placed to lift the left lateral segment anterolaterally. Adhesions were divided and the lesser omentum opened with the harmonic scalpel. A second left upper quadrant trocar was placed to retract the stomach. The dissection of the caudate lobe started inferiorly along the umbilical fissure and the clips were placed separately on the two portal triads providing inflow to the tumor and the caudate lobe. Parenchymal transection with the harmonic scalpel allowed the identification and isolation of the venous branches draining the caudate lobe posteriorly into the inferior vena cava. These branches were double clipped and divided. The parenchymal transection continued with the harmonic scalpel until the mobilization of the tumor enabled the application of the stapler with a satisfactory margin. An Endo-GIA 30 stapler with 3.5 mm staples was used. Cautery was applied to the cut surface of the liver and hemostatis verified. The patient recovered uneventfully and was discharged on the second post-operative day. In this report, we describe a successful laparoscopic hepatic caudate lobectomy for a symptomatic pedunculated hemangioma arising from the caudate lobe. To our knowledge, this is the first laparoscopic caudate lobe resection to be reported.