The human liver must maintain a certain volume; otherwise, liver failure and death may occur. If a liver tumor needs to be removed, the traditional method is to attempt to enlarge the patient's liver before surgery, but this is not always effective.
The new technology used by the University of Hong Kong to resect liver cancer is three times more efficient than traditional methods. This new technique involves first ligating the portal vein to ensure blood flow into the left liver. After 7 to 10 days, when the liver volume has increased by about 30%, the second stage of the surgery is performed to remove the tumor in the right liver.
Currently, 6 patients in Hong Kong have used this new technology, and all have been discharged successfully with no reported deaths.
