Liver Surgery

Liver surgery, or hepatectomy, removes part of the liver. It is done mainly for cancers that started in the liver, bowel cancer that has spread to it, and some benign tumours or cysts that cause symptoms or carry a risk of bleeding.

The healthy liver regrows to near its original volume within weeks to months, which is why up to two thirds can be removed in selected people. The main limit is the quality of what is left: a cirrhotic or chemotherapy-damaged liver tolerates far less removal.

What Liver Surgery involves

Planning starts with contrast CT or MRI, blood tests and, for cancer, a review by a multidisciplinary tumour board. The surgeon calculates how much liver will remain. If that is too small, a vein to the diseased side may be blocked a few weeks earlier so the healthy side grows. At operation the liver is freed from its attachments, ultrasound is used on its surface to map the tumour and vessels, and the blood supply to the segment being removed is controlled. The tissue is then divided with energy devices while small vessels and bile ducts are sealed or clipped. The cut surface is checked for bleeding and bile leak and a drain is often left.

Who is a good candidate for Liver Surgery?

Suitability depends on the tumour, the liver and your general fitness, and is decided by a team, not by one test.

• Bowel cancer deposits confined to a part of the liver that can be removed with a clear margin
• A single primary liver cancer in a liver that still works well
• Large or bleeding benign tumours such as adenomas
• Symptomatic cysts, including hydatid cysts, that have not settled with other treatment
• Living liver donors, who undergo the same type of operation

It is usually not the right choice if:

• People with advanced cirrhosis, high pressure in the portal vein or poor liver function
• Cancer that has spread widely outside the liver
• Tumours in every segment where too little healthy liver would remain
• People not fit for a major operation under general anaesthesia

الخيارات التقنية

• Open hepatectomy: A cut under the right ribs. Still preferred for large, deep or multiple tumours and for repeat surgery.
• Laparoscopic or robotic resection: Keyhole surgery for suitable tumours, often on the left side or the liver edge. Recovery is usually quicker.
• Wedge or segmental resection: Removes only the affected segment to spare tissue.
• Major hepatectomy: Removes the right or left half when the tumour involves main vessels.
• Ablation: Microwave or radiofrequency heat destroys small tumours through a needle, alone or combined with surgery.

ماذا يحدث خلال علاجك

The operation takes 2 to 6 hours under general anaesthesia, often with an epidural or nerve block for pain relief. You wake with a drip, a urinary catheter and possibly a drain. The first night is commonly spent in a high dependency unit. Pain is controlled with a pump or epidural for the first days, and you are helped out of bed the next day to protect your lungs and legs.

الإعداد لرحلتك

Plan for 2 to 3 weeks in Istanbul. Your surgeon reviews photographs and your medical history before you book, and you meet in person the day before surgery for examination, marking and consent with a professional interpreter.

• Stop smoking and nicotine at least four weeks before and after surgery; it is the single biggest avoidable cause of wound problems
• Tell the team about every medicine and supplement you take; blood thinners, some herbal products and hormone treatment may need to be paused on your doctor's advice
• Arrange for someone to travel with you or to be reachable, and keep the first days at home free of work and lifting
• Book a changeable return flight; your surgeon confirms when you are fit to fly

التعافي والنتائج

Expect 4 to 8 days in hospital, a little less after keyhole surgery. Blood tests follow the liver as it recovers. Tiredness is the main complaint and can last 6 to 12 weeks while the liver regrows. Avoid alcohol completely during this time and avoid heavy lifting for 6 weeks after an open operation. Most people return to desk work in 4 to 8 weeks. Cancer follow-up with scans continues for years.

• Back to everyday activity: 6 to 12 weeks
• When results show: Pathology result in about 7 to 10 days
• How long they last: Depends on the disease; cancer needs long follow-up

سياسة السلامة والمخاطر والتنقيح

This is major surgery. Risks rise with the amount removed and with underlying liver disease.

• Bleeding during or after surgery, sometimes needing transfusion
• Bile leak from the cut surface, which may need a drain or endoscopic stent
• Liver failure if the remaining liver is too small or unhealthy
• Chest infection, wound infection or fluid collection near the liver
• Blood clots in the legs or lungs
• Recurrence of cancer in the remaining liver or elsewhere
• A small risk of death, higher in cirrhosis and major resections

Every written proposal arranged through Clinic-Y states what the clinic covers if a correction is needed. Ask for it before you book, not after.

Cost of Liver Surgery in Türkiye

Clinic-Y does not publish a single price for Liver Surgery, because the honest figure depends on your case. What moves it:

• Open, laparoscopic or robotic approach
• How much liver is removed and whether vein embolisation is needed first
• Length of intensive care and ward stay
• Imaging, pathology and tumour board review
• Whether ablation or chemotherapy is combined with surgery

Send your photographs or reports and you receive written, all-inclusive proposals from suitable teams, side by side. Reviewing your case is free.

الأسئلة المتكررة