Current status and future perspectives of minimally invasive liver surgery for hepatocellular carcinoma.

The use of laparoscopic liver resection has rapidly increased. According to two international consensus meetings, certain resection methods are already considered standard procedures for liver resection, especially for small malignant tumors located on the liver surface or in the anterolateral segments of the liver. However, further studies and international consensus meetings are required for laparoscopic procedures to be accepted as standard procedures for highly complex hepatectomies, major hepatectomies, anatomical resections, and laparoscopic donor hepatectomies. Technical refinements are necessary because many studies have shown that negative outcomes also affect long-term outcomes after laparoscopic liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma.