Technical advances and future perspectives in liver surgery

The current era of liver surgery is high- lighted by low morbidity and mortality rates, inno- vative efforts to increase resectability, and overall improved survival for patients with both primary and metastatic lesions. The complexity of liver anatomy combined with the presence of several major vascu- lar structures delayed the widespread application of minimally invasive surgical techniques to liver surgery compared to other intra-abdominal organs. However, our experience with minimally invasive surgery has greatly expanded over the past 20 years. Modern sur- gical techniques, emerging technologies, and novel chemotherapeutic agents have led to a significant increase in minimally invasive liver surgery world- wide. This review will focus on the modern technical advancements that make minimally invasive liver surgery successful and what we can expect in the future.