The most common form of liver surgery is liver resection, or removal of a portion of the liver. As liver tissue is one of the few types of tissue in the body that can regenerate itself, modern liver operations permit the surgical team to remove as much as three-quarters of the liver safely. Within a few weeks or months, the liver can regenerate itself and return to normal size. The liver surgery team plans these complex procedures carefully and precisely in advance, using information form CT studies and other imaging exams.

 

Most often liver resection is for purposes of removing a tumor. Respected surgical oncologists in Aria’s Division of Surgical Oncology provide the most up-to-date such surgical procedures for liver cancer. Certain liver tumors may also be addressed through minimally invasive, catheter-based diagnostic procedures and treatments provided by accomplished interventional radiologists in Aria’s interventional radiology service. The cancer team may also use a variety of different means to perform a biopsy of the liver, including laparoscopic approaches.