Successful left trisegmentectomy for polycystic liver disease accompanied by jaundice

Background. We report a case of severe polycystic liver disease (PLD) with jaundice in a 57-year-old woman who underwent successful left trisegmentect omy. Method. She was admitted for the first time in February 1992 to our ho spital with a 7-year history of PLD, and became jaundiced in June 1995. Bec ause normal liver parenchyma was confirmed mainly to the posterior segment, left trisegmentectomy was performed. Results: No postoperative complicatio n occurred. The serum bilirubin level decreased promptly after the operatio n, but postoperative endoscopic retrograde cholangiography showed that the root of the posterior hepatic duct remained thin. Thus, the elimination of jaundice was presumed to have been caused by a decrease of intra-abdominal and peripheral biliary pressure, since a large volume of tissue had been re moved from the peritoneal cavity. She has since remained well without any s ymptoms. Conclusion: This procedure is useful for severe PLD, because it ca n be performed safely and the symptoms disappear dramatically. However, fur ther follow-up is needed to determine the long-term effects of this procedu re, because the remaining liver has shown some increase in size. Copyright (C) 2001 S. Karger AG, Basel.