Expanding the role of laparoscopic hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with portal hypertension

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the setting of cirrhosis represents a uniquely challenging clinical problem. While orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) offers the potential for radical resection and treatment of the underlying cirrhosis, the limited availability of organs means that an exceedingly small (single digit) percentage of HCC patients undergo OLT (1).