Laparoscopic Liver Resection: A Review of Current Status

Background: Laparoscopic liver resection (LLR) has been increasing since it was first reported in 1991. Two international expert consensus conferences on LLR surgery were held in Louisville, KY, USA, in 2008 and in Morioka, Japan, in 2014, respectively. While most initial minimally invasive liver resections were typically done for benign lesions in anterior or left lateral segments, LLR is currently being applied for major anatomic resections, malignancy, cirrhosis, and live donor hepatectomy. Methods: A systematic search of PubMed, MEDLINE, and Ovid databases was performed and English language articles published between January 2001 and May 2016 were reviewed. The titles and abstracts were screened and those studies related to following several topics were further retrieved. Results: This review provides a comprehensive insight into the current status of LLR, including hot topics such as laparoscopic major hepatectomy, robotic liver resection, laparoscopic live donor hepatectomy, and laparoscopic ALPPS. LLR has gained greater acceptance in recent years and the acceptance will likely increase with patient benefits. Conclusions: This field is anxiously awaiting the results of randomized clinical trials comparing LLR to open liver resection for malignancy. Learning curve and scoring systems for degree of difficulty will continue to evolve.