Combined right hepatic and retrohepatic caval resection with reconstruction using a polytetrafluoroethylene graft for primary leiomyosarcoma of the liver: Report of case

We present herein the case of a 53-year-old woman who underwent successful surgical treatment for a leiomyosarcoma of the liver that originated from t he posterior hepatic segment and involved the retrohepatic inferior vena ca va (IVC), A computed tomographic scan and magnetic resonance imaging demons trated a large tumor, with rich vascularity, in the liver. The IVC was foun d to be occluded on these scans, which was confirmed by venacavography. The patient under,vent a combined right hepatic and caval resection with recon struction using an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene graft. The tumor consis ted of spindle-shaped cells with cigar-shaped nuclei. It also had a moderat e degree of cellularity and ten mitotic figures per ten high-power fields. Immunohistologically, desmin and alpha-smooth muscle actin mere stained pos itive in the tumor cells, implying that the tumor tvas derived from smooth muscle cells. The patient is alive and well 15 months after her operation.