Liver Surgery in Lviv Saves Patient Initially Diagnosed with Terminal Cancer

Complex Hepatic Procedure Performed in Ukraine

According to Главком: In Lviv, surgeons carried out an intricate operation on 55-year-old patient Lyubomyr, who was first diagnosed with end-stage liver cancer but later found to have hepatic alveolar echinococcosis. The surgery lasted roughly 12 hours and involved removing six liver segments, reconstructing veins and bile ducts, and performing diaphragmatic plasty. Prior to this, similar operations in Ukraine had only been conducted at two medical facilities in Kyiv.

Lyubomyr first sought medical help five years ago after his skin turned yellow. Initially, doctors diagnosed him with terminal liver cancer. However, after further testing, colleagues in Kyiv identified that the patient actually had hepatic alveolar echinococcosis-a condition caused by the Echinococcus multilocularis parasite, which spreads through the fecal-oral route. The parasite had affected six of the eight liver segments and reached the pericardium.

Operation Details

The procedure was performed jointly with specialists from the Shalimov Institute. According to one surgeon, 'We took a risk. Liver resection in Lyubomyr's case carried extremely high dangers. To minimize these, we decided to operate together with our good colleagues from the Shalimov Institute.' During the surgery, the team temporarily disconnected the liver from blood circulation and cooled it with a special preservation solution.

After that, they resected six liver segments. Another doctor noted, 'Because one segment had significantly enlarged during the illness, we were able to radically remove a large volume of affected tissue while preserving organ function.' The next stages involved plasty of the left hepatic vein, the inferior vena cava, and the left portal vein, as well as reconstruction of the bile ducts. The intervention concluded with diaphragmatic plasty, as the parasite had affected the diaphragm and spread to the pericardium, complicating the procedure.

Expressing his gratitude, Lyubomyr said: 'I am endlessly thankful to all the doctors-you saved my life.' This operation marks a significant milestone in treating rare liver diseases in Ukraine.

This case highlights not only the high professionalism of Ukrainian surgeons but also progress in managing complex liver conditions. The importance of a multidisciplinary approach-bringing together experts from different medical institutions-underscores the need for collaboration within the national healthcare system to achieve positive outcomes for patients with rare diseases.