Identification and localisation of resectable tumours in the liver.

With the currently available various imaging procedures, as small a tumor as 1 cm in diameter is detectable. However, such small tumors are detectable only in patients with cirrhosis who frequently develop hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the Far East, by a regularly scheduled follow-up as generally practiced in Japan and Taiwan. The preoperative assessment of resectability and tolerable size of resection has improved with the modern liver function tests and imaging diagnosis. In this presentation, emphasis will be placed on the diagnosis of localization of a tumor within the liver rather than on the detection of tumors by imaging which has already been extensively documented.