BK BLOG

In this video, Dr. Robert Martin, Division Director of Surgical Oncology at the University of Louisville School of Medicine, talks about intraoperative ultrasound and how he uses it in his practice for patients with upper gastrointestinal malignancies. Specifically, Dr. Martin discusses:

Learn more about how intraoperative ultrasound can influence operative strategy in two-stage liver resections through:
 - mapping hepatic vasculature with regards to tumors
 - defining margins of resection 
 - enabling parenchymal-preserving resection

Mathieu D'Hondt, MD
Dept. of Digestive and Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, AZ Groeninge Hospital, Kortrijk, Belgium

Liver resection remains the only potentially curative treatment providing long-term survival for patients with extensive bilobar colorectal liver metastases.

A two-stage hepatectomy is a potentially curative strategy that consists of:
• A first-stage procedure, where colorectal liver metastases in one hemiliver are resected. The primary colorectal tumor is often resected by combining a partial colectomy with the first-stage liver resection.
• A second-stage procedure, where all colorectal liver metastases in the contralateral hemiliver are resected.

Read about the advantages of intraoperative ultrasound in the detection of liver tumours and the planning of surgery.

Mathieu D'Hondt, MD
Dept. of Digestive and Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, AZ Groeninge Hospital, Kortrijk, Belgium

Liver resection is the standard treatment for colorectal liver metastases and has a five-year overall survival rate estimated to be as high as 58%¹. However, up to 75% of patients undergoing liver resection for colorectal liver metastases will develop intrahepatic recurrence². The modern treatment of colorectal liver metastases is based on a multidisclipinary approach. From a surgical point of view, the management of colorectal liver metastases has significantly changed over recent years.

Professor Hongguang Wang is a hepatobiliary surgeon at the Chinese PLA General Hospital, in Beijing, China, one of the largest hospitals in the country. The facility has five sections in the hepatobiliary surgery department: hepatic surgery, biliary surgery, pancreatic surgery, minimally invasive surgery, and liver transplantation surgery. Dr. Wang is in charge of the minimally invasive surgery section. There, he performs laparoscopic hepatectomies, laparoscopic cholecystectomies, and laparoscopic common bile duct exploration.

Dr. Robert Martin is a professor of surgery at the University of Louisville School of Medicine in Louisville, Kentucky, and the division director of surgical oncology. His background is in surgical oncology, with additional training in hepatopancreatobiliary surgery. Most of his practice today is spent treating patients with upper gastrointestinal cancer. His management of this disease always includes the use of ultrasound.