Associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy versus conventional two-stage hepatectomy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: It is generally accepted that an insufficient future liver remnant is a major limitation of large-scale hepatectomy for patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma. Conventional two-stage hepatectomy (TSH) is commonly considered to accelerate future liver regeneration despite its low regeneration rate. Associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy (ALPPS), which is characterized by a rapid regeneration, has brought new opportunities. METHODS: Relevant studies were identified by searching the selected databases up to September 2017. Then, a meta-analysis of regeneration efficiency, complication rate, R0 resection ratio, and short-term outcomes was performed. RESULTS: Ten studies, comprising 719 patients, were included. The overall analysis showed that ALPPS was associated with a larger hyperplastic volume and a shorter time interval (P < 0.00001) than TSH. ALPPS also exhibited a higher completion rate for second-stage operations (odds ratio, OR 9.50; P < 0.0001) and a slightly higher rate of R0 resection (OR 1.90; P = 0.11). Interestingly, there was no significant difference in 90-day mortality between the two treatments (OR 1.44; P = 0.35). CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that compared with TSH, ALPPS possesses a stronger regenerative ability and better facilitates second-stage operations. However, the safety, patient outcomes, and patient selection for ALPPS require further study. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s12957-017-1295-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.