Tactical Steps in Liver Resection — Use of Laser

Several major topics were discussed; the first of these was the use of the laser in the performance of liver resection. It was generally agreed that the laser was still in an experimental stage, that it was expensive, cumbersome, and sometimes dangerous, and that at this point in time, it had little applicability to the usual patient who requires liver resection. Of the various lasers available, the CO2 or carbon dioxide laser is the one that is most applicable to liver resection, and it has the potential advantage of making it possible to cut and coagulate at the same time. The related matter of the use of electrocautery and other thermal cutting devices, such as the plasma scalpel, was discussed briefly, and it was the consensus of the panel that there was little indication for the use of these devices.