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Technical advances and future perspectives in liver surgery

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Summary

The current era of liver surgery is highlighted by low morbidity and mortality rates, innovative efforts to increase resectability, and overall improved survival for patients with both primary and metastatic lesions. The complexity of liver anatomy combined with the presence of several major vascular structures delayed the widespread application of minimally invasive surgical techniques to liver surgery compared to other intra-abdominal organs. However, our experience with minimally invasive surgery has greatly expanded over the past 20 years. Modern surgical techniques, emerging technologies, and novel chemotherapeutic agents have led to a significant increase in minimally invasive liver surgery worldwide. This review will focus on the modern technical advancements that make minimally invasive liver surgery successful and what we can expect in the future.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, USA

    Marc A. Ward MD

  2. Department of Digestive, Oncologic and Metabolic Surgery, Institut Mutualiste Montsouris, 42 boulevard Jourdan, 75014, Paris, France

    Marc A. Ward MD, Brice Gayet MD, PhD, Nicolas Tabchouri MD, Fabrizio Moisan MD, Gianfranco Donatelli MD &  David Fuks MD, PhD

  3. Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France

    Brice Gayet MD, PhD &  David Fuks MD, PhD

  4. Universitätsklinik für Viszeral‑, Transplantations- und Thoraxchirurgie, Department Operative Medizin, Medizinische Universität Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria

    Stefan Stättner MD, FRCS (Eng), FEBS (HPB)

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Correspondence to David Fuks MD, PhD.

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M.A. Ward, B. Gayet, N. Tabchouri, F. Moisan, G. Donatelli, S. Stättner, and D. Fuks declare that they have no competing interests.

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Ward, M.A., Gayet, B., Tabchouri, N. et al. Technical advances and future perspectives in liver surgery. Eur Surg 50, 137–141 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10353-018-0530-4

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