Knowledge and Surgical Strategies for Successful Laparoscopic Caudate Lobectomy, a Comprehensive Literature Review

Abstract

Laparoscopic approach in patients presenting caudate lobe lesions has always been considered prohibitive as technically demanding, so that the role of minimally invasive surgery for this posterior and deep location is still debated. Recently some studies presented cases of laparoscopic caudate lobectomy discussing how to manage technical challenges and providing excellent results. Innovative technologies for laparoscopic liver surgery are likely to improve the feasibility and reproducibility of laparoscopic liver resections in the near future especially for lesions located in the so called “difficult segments”.Still, laparoscopic caudate lobectomy remains unfamiliar to many surgeons and there are relatively few reports in the literature on this subject. For this reason, we conducted a comprehensive review of the literature to understand the safety and feasibility of LCL resections and discuss current and future perspectives.