ABSTRACT
Liver resection has evolved to an established treatment for various hepatic tumors and other conditions. This evolution was opened by anatomists who paved the way for modern anatomically oriented liver resection which is based on the intrahepatic segmentation according to the portal structure branching and the course of major hepatic veins. The first successful, elective hepatic resection is credited to Langenbuch (1888). A year later, Konig performed the first partial hepatectomy in a child. In 1952, Lortat-Jacob and Roberts reported the technique of extrahepatic ligation of vessels to control hemorrhage to perform an anatomic hepatic lobectomy. In 1953, Quattlebaum described transecting the liver with the handle of a knife, and clamping the vessels within the plane of transection. Contemporary work by Ton That Tung, Couinaud, and Bismuth provide the basis for present techniques that allow for a controlled anatomic liver resection. Intraoperative high-resolution ultrasonography, introduced by Makuuchi, combined with the Glissonian pedicle ligation technique popularized by Launois, facilitated performance of segmental and sectoral hepatic resections. The advances in surgical technique together with surgical instrumentation, anesthesia, and
diagnostic tests demonstrating the details of anatomy have revolutionized liver surgery. Successful liver surgery requires a fundamental understanding of liver anatomy, disease pathophysiology, and modern hepatic resection techniques. These foundations have allowed hepatic resections to be performed with an increased level of safety with decreased mortality and morbidity.
