Portal vein embolization preparation for major hepatic resection: a new standard in liver surgery

Preoperative portal vein embolization (PVE) is increasingly used for operative treatment of patients scheduled to undergo liver resection when the volume of the future remnant liver appears to be insufficient. Portal vein embolization should be considered when the prospective postoperative liver volume is less than 20 % or less than 40 % in patients with known liver cirrhosis. Our own results (n = 28) demonstrated an average volume increase in segments II and III of 280 +/- 95 ml to 420 +/- 98 ml within 6 weeks after selective percutaneous- transhepatic embolization of the portal vein branches (IV)-V-VIII. Thus, an expanded right resection of the liver could be performed in all patients without major complications. None of the patients suffered from clinically relevant liver insufficiency within the first few postoperative months.