Surgery Overview
Liver resection is surgery to remove a piece of the liver. Up to one-half of your liver can be removed if the rest of it is healthy. The doctor makes a cut (incision) in your belly to take out part of the liver. If the doctor removes the right side of your liver, your gallbladder will also be removed.
Liver resection requires general anesthesia. The surgery can take 2 to 5 hours.
You will probably stay in the hospital for about a week after surgery. You will need to take it easy for 4 to 8 weeks at home.
What To Expect
Follow-up care is needed because of the chance that cancer will return, even if the surgery was successful. Treatment after liver resection may include chemotherapy or radiation treatments.
Why It Is Done
Liver resection is most often used to treat liver cancer or other cancer that has spread to the liver. Removing the cancer from the liver helps to keep it from spreading farther. Sometimes a liver resection removes all the cancer. But even when this surgery can't remove all the cancer from the liver, it usually helps people live longer.
Liver resection may also be done for cysts or abscesses or because of injury to the liver.
How Well It Works
Liver resection increases a person's chances of living longer. A person's long-term survival depends on many things, including how much of the liver was removed, the person's overall health, and any other treatments that are needed.
Risks
Complications after liver resection may be higher in people with ongoing liver problems such as cirrhosis. Possible complications include:
- Infection.
- Bile leaking through the drain.
- Bleeding.
-
Ascites in the belly.
- Scar tissue from the surgery.
Credits
Current as of: October 19, 2024
Current as of: October 19, 2024