Objective To evaluate the optimal surgical approach for huge liver neopiasms in the caudate lobe.Methods Thirty-three patients with huge liver neplasms（≥10cm) underwent caudate lobectomy at a single tertiary referral center between January 2001 and June 2007.The surgical out-comes of pateints who underwent isolated caudate lobectomy or caudate lobectomy combined with partial hepatectomy were compared.Result Fifteen（45.5％）of 33 patients underwent isolated total or partial caudate lobectomy（group A）,whereas 18（54.5％) had total or partial caudate lobectomy cellular carcinoma (HCC) (51.5％),followed by hemangioma(21.2％),intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma(9.1％),angiomyolipoma(6.1％),hepatic adenoma (3％),focal nodular hyperplasia(3％),colorectal liver metastases(3％)and sarcoma(3％).The median diameter of the tumour was 12.3 (range,10.2-21)cm.Patients in group A had significantly longer operative time (280 minutes vs.170 minutes),longer length of hospital stay (17 days vs.12 days)and more blood loss(1250 ml vs.670 ml) than patients in group B.There was no perioperative death in the 2 groups of pateints.Complication rates in group A and group B were 26.7％ and 16.7％ respectively.There was no disease-related death in patients with benign lesions.The1-,3- and 5-year disease-free survivals of patients with malignant lesions in group A and group B were 25.9％,0％,0％and 74.3％,46.7％,31.2％,respectively.The 1-,3- and 5-year overrall survivals were 68.6％,19.7％,0％ and 100％,66.5％,41.8％,respecively.Conclusion The approach to caudate lobectomy depends on the size and location of the lesion and the liver functional reserve.For patients with sufficient liver functional reserve,caudate lobectomy combined with partial hepatectomy is preferred because it is technically less demanding.For patienls with marginal liver functional reserve,isolated caudate lobectomy is the only viable surgical option.

Objective To evaluate the techniques and the effects of resection of giant hepatic tumors in the caudate lobe of the liver. Methods The clinical data of 33 patients with primary liver carcinoma or benign tumor (>10 cm) in the caudate lobe of the liver surgically treated in our hospital from January 2000 to January 2007 were retrospectively analyzed. Results The total of 33 huge liver tumors with a median diameter of 12.3 cm (10.2-15.3cm) were successfully resected. The types of the hepatectomies conducted were as follows:isolated total caudate lobectomy in 7cases, partial cau-date lobectomy in 8, caudate lobectomy plus other extended hepatectomy in 18. The median operative time was 218 min (120-360 min) and the median intraoperative blood loss 958 ml (400-7000 ml),with operative mortality and morbidity being 0 and 27%, respectively. The postoperative 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rates for the patients with primary liver cancer were 76 %,52% and 24%, respectively. Con-clusion The hepatic tumors of caudate lobe, when larger than 10 cm in diameter, frequently involves all the hepatic portal,hepatocaval confluence and retrohepatic IVC. Though it is sophisticated in tech-nique, surgical resection of this kind of tumor is safe, effective and of the first choice.