Exceeded 500 Cases of Laparoscopic Surgery for Living Donor Liver Transplantation
The Organ Transplant Center announced that the living donor hepatectomy performed through laparoscopy has exceeded 500 cases. It has been eight years since the first surgery in May 2013 until July 2021.
Laparoscopic surgery involves making four to five holes that is one to two cm in size in the stomach, inserting surgical instruments through this passage, excising the donor's liver, and taking it out through the pelvic area where an incision is made. Compared to conventional open surgery, although the complexity of the operation is high, it is known to reduce pain of the liver donor and improve the quality of life with fewer scars.
According to the research team, laparoscopic surgery was performed in 74 out of 289 liver transplant patients between 2013 and 2016, accounting for only 25% of the total, but between 2017 and 2019, 246 out of 300 liver transplants were performed laparoscopically. All 166 liver transplants since 2020 were performed laparoscopically, achieving 100% success. The research team explained that this change was a result of more patients being compatible candidates due to accumulation of significant surgical experiences and technique advancements.
Furthermore, laparoscopic surgery became the default option regardless of anatomical variation. This is thanks to improved indicators related to the safety of surgery and enhanced skill level. According to the research team, the operation time in 2013 was 449 minutes, but as of 2021, it was cut by more than half to 209 minutes.
Surgical satisfaction of liver donors is higher than that of open surgery. The number of cases in which opioid analgesics were required was also about one-third, and the average length of stay was also eight days, which is a decrease compared to the cases of open surgery (10 days).