Our initial experience with ALPPS technique: encouraging results

Surgical resection is the best option for prolonged survival in patients with primary or secondary liver tumors. A sufficient future liver remnant (FLR) volume is needed to prevent post-hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF). With the aim of increasing FLR, a new two-step technique has been recently developed. Our aim is to report our initial experience with associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy (ALPPS) technique. Analysis was conducted of ten patients previously considered locally unresectable because of small FLR. During first surgical step liver parenchymal partition and portal vein ligation was performed. Seven days after the first procedure, once volumetric and functional studies have demonstrated an appropriate FLR volume, the resection of the deportalized hemiliver was achieved. This technique was successfully performed in all ten patients (feasibility 100 %). Six were male with mean age of 55.2 years (range 39–77). Mean preoperative FLR volume and FLR/total liver volume were 408.4 ml and 27.8 %. Mean postoperative FLR volume was 733 ml representing a mean volume increase of 325 ml or 82 % (range 31–140) (p < 0.0001). All resections were R0 (4 right hepatectomies, 5 right trisectionectomies and 1 left trisectionectomy). There were two grade A post-hepatectomy liver failures. Morbidity was 40 % and mortality 0 %. With a mean follow-up of 187 days, disease-free survival and overall survival were 80 and 100 %, respectively. ALPPS induces a great and fast FLR hypertrophy allowing R0 resections in patients otherwise considered unresectable because of small FLR volume, without severe PHLF and low mortality in experience centers. Further experience is needed to determine long-term outcomes.