Recipient hepatectomy under total hepatic vascular exclusion to prevent hepatocellular carcinoma spread in living donor liver transplantation

We present a case of recipient hepatectomy under total hepatic vascular exclusion (THVE) and venovenous bypass for living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) in a patient with multiple hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) closely located to the retrohepatic inferior vena cava (IVC). A 19-year-old male patient diagnosed with multiple HCCs underwent left lateral sectionectomy 14 months before and received four sessions of transarterial chemoembolization due to post-hepatectomy tumor recurrence. These pretransplant sequences implicated high risk of posttransplant HCC recurrence. However, LDLT was performed with expectation of prolonged survival. During recipient operation, the portal vein was transected and active venovenous bypass was performed. Supra- and infra-hepatic portions of the retrohepatic IVC were then clamped. Under THVE and portal vein bypass, recipient hepatectomy was meticulously performed. A modified right liver graft recovered from his brother was implanted according to standard procedures of LDLT. The patient recovered uneventfully from LDLT operation. However, multiple pulmonary metastasis occurred. The patient has been doing well for 12 months after LDLT, with administration of chemotherapeutic agents. Although early pulmonary metastasis occurred in this patient, we suggest that recipient hepatectomy under THVE and venovenous bypass can be a feasible technical option to cope with risk of iatrogenic tumor cell spread during LDLT operation.