Needlescope is a laparoscopic equipment with a diameter of only 2 mm. It has been used in treatment of some general surgery and gynecology diseases. In urology .needlescopic techniques have also been applied in some procedures including adrenalectomy and pediatric orchiopexy. Although debates still exist about the definition of needlescopic surgery and the 2-mm instruments have their limitation,needlescopic technology has obvious advantages such as smaller traumas,superior cosmetic result, shorter hospital stay, and abbreviated convalescence. Needlescopic techniques represent a natural evolution of conventional laparoscopy.

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 explore the clinical value of total hemihepatic vascular exclusion (THHVE) in right hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods One hundred and twenty-three consecutive patients who underwent right hepatectomy for HCC between February 2006 and December 2008 were studied retrospectively. THHVE was used in 58 patients (group A) and Pringle maneuver in 65 patients (group B). The patient's demographics,surgical procedure and outcome were collected and compared between the two groups.ResultsThe tumor size was significantly bigger in group A than group B (7.69±3.70 cm vs.6.08±4.07 cm,P＜0.05).The vascular occlusion time in group A was significantly longer than groupB (28.55±8.67 min vs.19.85±6.71 min,P＜0.05). However, intraoperative blood loss in group A was significantly less than group B (304.31±270.36 ml vs.542.62±876.84 ml,P＜0.05),and the elevation of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) on day- 1,-3 and- 7 after operation in group A were significantly lower than group B (P＜0.05).The postoperative complication rate in group A was lower than group B (18.97％ vs.38.46％,P＜0.05).ConclusionTHHVE was a safe and efficacious technique in right hepatectomy for HCC.It significantly decreased blood loss,alleviated liver injury and reduced postoperative morbidity and mortality.

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.

Objective:To evaluate the clinical value of lymph node dissection (LND) for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) after surgical resection.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted on the clinical data of 156 patients who underwent surgery for ICC in Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital of Naval Military Medical University from November 2010 to December 2017, including 94 males and 62 females, aged (60.0±9.5) years. Curative surgery was performed in 114 cases. Of 64 cases were in stage Ⅰ according to American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC), including 38 cases of non-lymph node dissection (NLND) and 26 cases of LND; 21 cases were in AJCC stage Ⅱ, including 11 cases of NLND and 10 cases of LND; 22 cases were in AJCC stage Ⅲb, including 14 cases of LND and 8 cases of lymph node resection (LNR); 5 cases were in AJCC stage Ⅲa, 2 cases were in AJCC stage Ⅳ. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis were used for the risk factors of ICC prognosis. The log-rank test compared the survival rates of the two groups.Results:Cox multivariate analysis indicated that lymph node metastasis was independent risk factors for prognosis in patients with ICC ( HR=1.96, 95% CI: 1.09-3.55, P=0.026). A total of 114 patients were included in the curative surgery group. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival (OS) rates of the negative lymph node group ( n=91) were 65.9%, 47.3% and 35.6%, respectively, which were significantly better than those of the positive lymph node group ( n=23) who had 1-, 3-, 5-year OS rates of 56.5%, 17.7% and 0, respectively (χ 2=8.11, P=0.004 ). In stage Ⅰ and Ⅱ patients, there were no significant differences in 1-, 3-, 5-year OS rates between the NLND group and the LND group (both P>0.05 ). In stage Ⅲb patients, the LND group had 1-, 3-, 5-year OS rates of 71.4%, 29.8% and 0, respectively, significantly better than those of the LNR group who had 1-, 3-, 5-year OS rates of 37.5%, 0 and 0, respectively (χ 2=6.45, P=0.011). Conclusions:Lymph node metastasis is an independent risk factor affecting the prognosis of ICC. Lymph node dissection should be performed cautiously in ICC with AJCC stage Ⅰ and Ⅱ, while routine lymph node dissection is recommended in ICC with AJCC stage Ⅲb.