Hepatectomy or liver resection is surgical removal of complete or part of liver. Complete liver removal is performed when patient undergoes liver transplantation. Partial liver resection is performed for various types of liver cancers like HCC, cholangiocarcinoma and gall bladder cancer. Also performed for liver donor surgery.
There are various types of partial liver resection like right hepatectomy, left hepatectomy, left lateral segmentectomy, wedge resection of liver etc.
When a portion of a normal liver is removed, the remaining liver can grow back (regenerate) to the original size within several weeks. A cirrhotic liver, however, cannot grow back.