Published online Mar 7, 2016. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v22.i9.2725
Peer-review started: September 23, 2015
First decision: October 14, 2015
Revised: November 1, 2015
Accepted: December 30, 2015
Article in press: December 30, 2015
Published online: March 7, 2016
Processing time: 162 Days and 13.1 Hours
Core tip: Liver resections in patients with underlying hepatic cirrhosis and portal hypertension still represent a medical challenge with regard to perioperative morbidity, surgical management and postoperative outcome. However, the increasing incidence of liver cirrhosis on the one hand, and the ongoing improvements in surgical technique and perioperative management on the other hand have up until today rendered even extended hepatic resections in these patients possible. Especially in primary and metastatic liver malignancies, surgery often presents the only curative approach and thus potential short- and long-term benefits and risks have to be evaluated carefully and interdisciplinary from a surgical, oncological and hepatologist point of view.