Abstract
Kainuma et al. have reported that monitoring of hepatic venous hemoglobin oxygen saturation (ShvO2) is easy to accomplish and is a valuable technique in studying the extent of hepatic ischemia during liver surgery. Appleby operation is performed for pancreatic body and tail carcinoma, which often invades the celiac and common hepatic arteries. The most critical complication of this procedure is liver insufficiency due to hepatic ischemia. In order to prevent hepatic ischemia, we insert a hepatic venous catheter and continuously measure ShvO2 in all patients undergoing Appleby operation. ShvO2 monitoring plays a pivotal role in not only evaluating the extent of hepatic ischemia but also in deciding whether Appleby operation should be finally adopted or not. We hope that many studies will be reported to determine the usefulness and the significance of ShvO2 monitoring in the Appleby operation.
