Background: Formal anatomic (lobar) or extended hepatectomies are recommended for liver malignancies located centrally within the liver (Couinaud’s segments IVA, IVB, V, and VIII). Mesohepatectomy, resection of central hepatic segments and leaving the right and left segments in situ, removes large central tumors preserving more functioning liver tissue than either extended left or right hepatectomy. Mesohepatectomy is a seldom used, technically demanding procedure, and its application is yet to be defined.

Methods: Medical charts of 244 consecutive liver resection patients were reviewed retrospectively. Eighteen patients were treated with mesohepatectomy. Six patients had metastatic liver tumor (MLT), 11 had hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and 1 had gallbladder adenocarcinoma. The operative results were compared with groups of patients treated by lobar hepatectomy (n = 71) and extended left or right hepatectomy (n = 43).

Results: The mean mesohepatectomy operative time was 238 versus 304 minutes in the extended group. Inflow occlusion mean time was longer in the mesohepatectomy group than in extended procedures, 45 versus 39 minutes (P = not significant). Comparing the extended hepatectomy group, the mesohepatectomy group had a mean operative estimated blood loss 914 cc versus 1628 cc (P <0.01), postoperative hospital stay 9 versus 16 days (P = 0.054) and volume of resected liver 560cc versus 1500cc (P <0.01) respectively. The late complication rate was lower in the mesohepatectomy group than in the extended group and was comparable to the lobar hepatectomy group (P = 0.05).

Conclusions: Despite its technical demands, mesohepatectomy should be considered as an alternative to extended hepatectomy for selected patients with primary and secondary hepatic tumors localized in middle liver segments, as its complication rate, postoperative recovery, and preserved liver tissue compare favorably with extended hepatic resection.