Background: Laparoscopic liver resection is growing in popularity, but the long-term outcome of patients undergoing laparoscopic liver resection for malignancy has not been established. This paper is a meta-analysis and compares the long-term survival of patients undergoing laparoscopic (LHep) versus open (OHep) liver resection for the treatment of malignant liver tumours.Methods: A PubMed database search identified comparative human studies analysing LHep versus OHep for malignant tumours. Clinical and survival parameters were extracted. The search was last conducted on 18 March 2012.Results: In total, 1002 patients in 15 studies were included (446 LHep and 556 OHep). A meta-analysis of overall survival showed no difference [1-year: odds ratio (OR) 0.71, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.42 to 1.20, P = 0.202; 3-years: OR 0.76, 95% CI 0.56 to 1.03, P = 0.076; 5-years: OR 0.8, 95% CI 0.59 to 1.10, P = 0.173]. Subset analyses of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and colorectal metastases (CRM) were performed. There was no difference in the 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival for HCC or in the 1-year survival for CRM, however, a survival advantage was found for CRM at 3 years (LHep 80% versus OHep 67.4%, P = 0.036).Conclusions: Laparoscopic surgery should be considered an acceptable alternative for the treatment of malignant liver tumours.

The complication and success rates in patients treated with either percutaneous cryosurgery (PCS) or percutaneous radiofrequency (PRF) for unresectable hepatic malignancies are similar. Design: Retrospective study. Setting: University hospital. Patients and Methods: Sixty-four patients were treated with either PCS (n = 31) or PRF (n = 33). Patient treatment was based on the random availability of the probes. Tumors were evaluated by a blinded comparison of pretreatment and posttreatment helical computed tomographic scans. All living patients had at least a 6-month follow-up. Main Outcome Measures: Complication rate, initial treatment success (complete devascularization of the tumor), and local recurrence (tumor revascularization within or at its periphery). Results: The distribution of tumor types was similar in the 2 groups (P = .76). One patient with cirrhosis died of variceal hemorrhage on day 30 after PCS (mortality, 3.2%), while no mortality was observed after PRF (P=.48). Complications occurred in 9 (29%) of the patients following PCS and in 8 (24%) of the patients following PRF (P=.66). Initial treatment success was comparable in the 2 treatment groups (30 [83%] of 36 tumors following PCS vs 34 [83%] of 41 tumors following PRF). However, local recurrences occurred more frequently after PCS than after PRF (16 [53%] of 30 vs 6 [18%] of 34; P =.003). The higher rate of local recurrence was identified for metastases (10 [71%] of 14 after PCS vs 3 [19%] of 16 after PRF; P=.004), while the difference was not significant for hepatocellular carcinoma (6 [38%] of 16 after PCS vs 3 [17%] of 18 after PRF; P =.25). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that the use of PCS (P=.003) and more than 1 treatment (P=.05) were independent risk factors for local tumor recurrence. Conclusion: While similar initial treatment success and complication rates are observed following either PCS or PRF, local recurrences occur more frequently following PCS, particularly for metastases.

tional surgical approaches to this problem are discussed. A technique for laparoscopic repair of a Morgagni hernia is described. The literature on the laparoscopic repair of a Morgagni hernia is reviewed and different operative techniques are discussed.