Laparoscopic Resection of Recurrence fromHepatocellular Carcinoma after Liver Transplantation:Case Reports and Review of the Literature

Recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after liver transplantation (LT) indicates a poor prognosis. Surgeryis considered the only curative option for selected patients with HCC recurrence following LT. Traditionally, the preference isgiven to the open approach.Methods. In this report, we present two cases of laparoscopic resections (LR) for recurrent HCCafter LT, performed at Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet.Results. Both procedures were executed without intraoperative andpostoperative adverse events. Whereas one of the patients had a recurrence one year after LR, the other patient did not have any signof disease during 3-year follow-up.Conclusions. We argue that, in selected cases, patients with HCC recurrence following LT maybenefit from LR due to its limited tissue trauma and timely start of subsequent treatment if curative resection cannot be obtained.In patients with relatively favorable prognosis, LR facilitates postoperative recovery course and avoids unnecessary laparotomy.