Liver Surgery: Types, Procedures, and Recovery Tips

Liver is the vital organ of your body, which performs more than hundreds of important functions such as removal of harmful toxins from blood, regulations of blood clotting, and maintaining blood sugar levels. Top Liver Doctors in India offer best treatment for the most complex and challenging surgical cases that may be malignant or benign conditions of the liver.

Functions of liver

Liver is a solid organ that is located in the right upper abdomen and beneath your rib cage. It consists of four lobes that have eight different segments and thousands of small lobes. Chief function of the liver is to filter harmful substances such as drugs and alcohol present in the blood flowing in your body. The liver is an organ that will perform more than five hundred functions, such as regulating blood sugar levels, removing harmful substances and waste products and generating essential nutrients etc.

Liver Surgery

Liver Surgery is  performed by Liver Transplant & HPB Surgeon Specialists in India for removing a portion of your liver that has been damaged or infected with tumours. Another type of liver surgery is Liver Transplant, which is performed to replace the chronically damaged liver with a healthy liver portion taken from a donor. The liver has the capacity to function normally and healthy, even after two third portions of it are removed. Though, your doctor surgically removes a portion of the damaged or diseased liver, it can grow back to its healthy normal size.

Types of liver surgeries

Different types of liver surgeries are performed by surgeons to treat diverse types of liver damages, caused liver cancer.

1. Hepatectomy or Liver resection

Liver resection or Hepatectomy is a surgical process that is performed to remove the cancer tumours. During the surgery, the surgeon will remove the tumour infected part of your liver along with a small portion of the healthy liver. Amount of tumour to be removed from the affected tissues depends upon the size and location the tumour has developed. This surgery is recommended if you have a single or few tumours and do not have cirrhosis conditions.

2. Liver Transplant

Liver Donor Liver Transplant is a life-saving process for patients struggling with advanced stage of liver cancer or chronic liver failure or when a single tumour that is 5cm across or less has developed in your liver. Surgeons will replace the diseased and damaged liver with a healthy liver taken from a healthy donor. Both, the liver of the donor and patient’s replaced liver will grow back and regenerate themselves to their healthy full size.

3. Microwave Ablation and Radio Frequency Ablation

These surgical procedures are performed for killing the cancerous cells developed in the liver by heating them at extremely high temperatures.

4. Irreversible Electroporation

Irreversible Electroporation is a surgical procedure done to destroy cancerous cells using an electric current.

Recovery Tips

Post Surgery it will take weeks or months for your operated liver to grow back into normal size and fully functional. You need to consider a few things during this period in order to recover faster.

• Medications and consultation: It is essential that you take medications prescribed by your doctor regularly. Never miss any of your post surgery hospital appointments and consultation. If your pain is not reducing but aggressive even after pain medications, then Consult Liver specialist in India online for evaluating your recovery process
• Nutritious diet: Post surgery your doctors would have instructed a certain diet pattern according to your health condition. This diet is vital for you to gain strength to recover safely and faster. 
• Avoid alcohol: Alcohol consumption can cause serious health issues during the recovery phase. Therefore, it is essential that you avoid alcohol intake.
• Exercise: Consult with your Doctor regarding physical activities and exercises to follow after surgery. You might be advised to do mild exercises and physical activities such as walking for speedy recovery. However, consult your liver surgeon if you are planning to get back to your workplace, especially if your job involves lots of movement or heavy lifting.
• Drink plenty of fluids: Ensure that you consume at least 8 glasses of water everyday to keep your body hydrated.
• Avoid lifting weight: After the liver surgery it is very important for you to avoid lifting heavy weights, for at least 8 weeks.
• Maintain hygiene: Maintaining good hygiene is another crucial factor that needs to be regularly followed for keeping your body safe from infections. You should wear clean clothes, bathe every day with warm water and also keep your environment cleaner to breathe fresh clean air. 
• Consult your issues: Sometimes, if you feel numbness on the area below the surgical incision, then do not panic, this is a commonly observed symptom that will go away over a period. Visit your surgeon if there is drainage oozing from your incisions or if the area around the incision turns reddish and puffy and any other concerns.

Vanya Health Medical tourism in India allows you to experience best quality healthcare services from highly qualified liver specialists at affordable prices for the wellbeing of your liver.