Atrial reconstruction, distal gastrectomy with Ante-situm liver resection and autotransplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma with atrial tumor thrombus: A case report

RATIONALE: Hepatocellular with tumor thrombi extending into 3 hepatic veins (HVs) and right atrium presents as a real clinical challenge. We report the first documented case of surgical resection of an advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with extensive invasion to distal stomach, atrium and hepatic vasculatures. PATIENT CONCERNS: We present a case of 48-years old man with abdominal mass accompanying shortness of breath after activities. DIAGNOSES: Preoperative examination revealed giant HCC with tumor thrombi extending into portal vein, HVs, inferior vena cava, and atrium. INTERVENTIONS: Distal stomach involvement was confirmed at surgery and, distal gastrectomy, atrial reconstruction and ante-situm liver resection and autotransplantation under cardio-pulmonary bypass were performed. OUTCOMES: The operation time was 490 minutes, extracorporeal circulation time 124 minutes, and anhepatic time 40 minutes. Postoperative follow-up revealed normal hepatic and cardiac function with no sign of recurrence. LESSONS: This case illustrates that the extensive invasion of HCC to major vasculature and adjacent organs may not necessarily preclude the liver autotransplantation with multi-visceral resection as the treatment option of extremely advanced HCC patients.