Left Lateral Sectionectomy

Abstract

During fetal life, blood from the placenta flows through the umbilical vein and ductus venosus and drains into the inferior vena cava of the fetus. After birth, the umbilical vein is obliterated, except for a remnant that becomes the umbilical portal vein and is replaced by the round ligament of the liver, while the ductus venosus also closes and becomes the ligamentum venosum. In left lateral sectionectomy, the part of the liver to the left of these old structures is cut off, and here the ligamentum venosum serves as a good landmark for determining the transection line. The duct of Arantius, which surgeons often use as a reference, is the obliterated ligamentum venosum and is occasionally mentioned in this chapter. The standard operation time is 2 h and 30 min.