A new method to establish the rational extent of hepatic resection for advanced gallbladder cancer using dye injection through the cystic artery.

BACKGROUND

Hepatic resection has been indicated to eliminate cancer at the surgical margin in cases of advanced gallbladder carcinoma, but there is considerable controversy about the reasonable extent of liver resection. A new on-table dye injection technique has been introduced to determine the venous drainage of the gallbladder and ascertain the amount of liver to remove.

METHODS

In four hepatic resections for pT2 gallbladder cancer, indocyanine green solution (25 mg/20 ml) was injected over a period of 30 seconds through the cystic artery. The stained area of the liver surface was completely resected, maintaining a margin of at least 2 cm from the gallbladder.

RESULTS

The entire serosal surface of the gallbladder takes on a light green stain immediately after dye injection, and then the liver surface around the gallbladder gradually becomes stained with a clear demarcation line. The distance between the demarcation line and the gallbladder ranged from 1.0 to 5.0 cm. The extent of the stained area differed from one individual to another. Histopathological examination of resected liver specimens revealed that one of the four resected livers had micrometastasis in the portal area 27 mm from the gallbladder wall and there were no cancer cells at the surgical margins. No recurrence has been seen in any of our 4 patients at 16-26 months after operation.

DISCUSSION

The dye injection method is useful in determining the appropriate extent of hepatic resection for advanced gallbladder cancer, as it is possible to determine the necessary and sufficient amount of liver parenchyma that should be removed according to the perfusion area of the cystic veins in each individual patient.