Report of a Resected Case of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Originating in the Caudate Lobe

This is a report on 57-year-old female patient in whom a tumor was found in the caudate lobe of the liver by the tests with ultrasonography and computed tomograpy during the accurate examinations for liver cirrhosis. The tumor was diagnosed as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) based on the findings of angiograpy. The image examination revealed the tumor localizing in the left lesion of the caudate lobe. Caudate lobectomy was indicated. The arterial branch to the left-side of caudate lobe, and the branch of the portal vein were ligated and cut at the portal hepatis. The short hepatic vein was ligated and cut. The lobectomy was made with Cavitron Ultrasonic Surgical Aspirator. The total blood loss during the operation was 880 ml. There have only been 6 cases in whom the resection was made for HCC developed in the caudate lobe. This is mainly accounted by the facts that the most of those patients have liver cirrhosis as a comlication, and/or there is a difficulty for the resection due to the anatomical features of the caudate lobe. The resection of the caudate lobe, however, may safely be made recently, as the anatomical vascular architecture of the caudate lobe has become elucidated clearly.