[Short history of liver surgery in the Department of Surgery of University of Szeged].

Introduction The authors introduce the history of liver surgery in Szeged on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Surgery Department's establishment. Material and methods After the initiation of liver surgery in Szeged by Professor Karácsonyi 1982 we are treating not only patients with benign and malignant focal liver diseases but also others with surgery required because of complications of portal hypertension. Patients are presented in two periods. Discussion We operated on 46.5% of the patients with malignant and 53.5% of the patients with benign diseases between 1981 and 1991. The surgical spectrum extended to trisegmentectomy. There were 14% of minor and 9.9% of major complications, the mortality was 3.23% which meets international standards. In the second period, 50.5% of the patients were operated on because of malignant and 46.5% of the patients suffered from benign focal diseases from 1992. Among the patients who had been operated on because of liver malignancy, there were 51% metastasis mostly of colorectal cancer, 22% were hepatocellular, 16% were cholangiocellular carcinoma and in 11% were other malignant tumors. In those patients who had been operated on because of benign focal liver diseases, there were 32% cysts, 25% echionococcus cysts, 26% haemangiomas, 8% adenomas, 7% FNH, and 2% because of others. The summarized mortality rate was 1.3%. There were peritoneo-venous shunt implantations in 126 cases because of therapy-refracter ascites. We performed oesophageal transection with a circular stapler after failed endoscopic haemostasis in 50 cases. Conclusion Chances of liver surgery have been basically widened because of the financial investment that is connected to the Department of Surgery's move to a new building. The liver unit in Szeged today can take care of patients in a full spectrum of liver surgery.