Use of a pericardial xenograft patch in repair of resected retrohepatic vena cava.

Complete surgical excision of malignant tissue is mandatory for the long-term survival of patients with hepatic metastases from colorectal carcinoma. Involvement of the inferior vena cava (IVC) may prevent this resection. The authors describe the case of a 64-year-old man who underwent right hepatic lobectomy for metastases from colorectal carcinoma. Partial involvement of the IVC by tumour necessitated resection of a large portion of its wall. Venous continuity was re-established with a large bovine pericardial patch. At follow-up 2 years after the repair, the IVC was still patent and the vessel diameter was normal. On enhanced computed tomography, the patch was indistinguishable from the native vessel.