From Diagnosis to Recovery: Your Journey of Liver Resection in India

Liver resection in India

Liver resection (also hepatic resection or hepatectomy) is an operation during which part of the liver is excised. It is most often done to excise tumors-either primary cancers of the liver (hepatocellular carcinoma) or secondary ones (metastases, usually of colorectal cancer).

Types of Liver Resection

• Wedge Resection / Segmentectomy- small portion or part of the liver is removed.
• Lobectomy (Hepatic Lobectomy) - removal of an entire lobe of the liver (right or left).
• Extended Hepatectomy - where more than one lobe is removed where required.

Indications

• Principled liver cancer (Hepatocellular carcinoma, Cholangiocarcinoma).
• Secondary (metastatic) liver cancer, e.g. secondary to colon or breast cancer.
• Benign hepatic tumours (in case of symptoms or suspicion).
• Trauma or liver injury.
• Some liver cysts or abscess.

Procedure

• This can be accomplished by open surgery or laparoscopic/robotic minimally invasive surgery.
• Blood vessels and bile ducts are preserved with care by surgeons.
• The liver is capable of regenerating itself and as such the rest of it can be regenerated within weeks to months.

Factors Affecting Liver resection surgery cost in India

The following is a comprehensive list of the aspects that influence the price of liver resection (hepatectomy) in India:

Location and City Level

• Metro towns such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Chennai have charged prices because the cost of living is high and hospitals are modernised. 
• Cities of the Tier-2 or less (e.g., Varanasi) are likely to provide much more affordable prices without compromising the quality. 

Hospital Grade and infrastructure

• More expensive are luxury, NABH/JCI credentialed and highly-technological private hospitals. 
• These tend to be reflected in the increased cost of hospitals that have current imaging, robotic surgery and ICU services. 

Technique/ Difficulty of surgery

• Partial segment versus full lobe resection (or extended resection), directly influences the cost of treatment. 
• Technique: laparoscopic/robotic surgery is expensive in comparison with traditional open surgery. 

Quality of Expertise and Team of Surgeon

• High fees are charged by experienced specialist surgeons especially those who are internationally trained. 

Pre-operative / Post-operative Elements

• The prices of diagnostic tests (CT, MRI, biopsy), blood tests and initial workup can cost more. 
• There is also post-op care such as ICU, drugs, visits, which contribute to cost. 
• The total costs may increase through longer hospitalization or complications (comorbidities, bile leak, infection). 

Medical Tourism Dynamics

• International demand and healthy exchange rates are beneficial to the global patients, which may affect the packages pricing. 
• The large number of procedures per hospital also enables the hospital to maximize its cost through economies of scale.

Best hospitals for liver resection in India

• Artemis Hospital, Gurgaon
• Medanta-The Medicity, Gurgaon
• Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurgaon
• Max Hospital, Saket

Top liver surgeons in India

• Dr. Giriraj Bora
• Dr. Arvinder Singh Soin
• Dr. Vivek Vij
• Dr. Arvind Kumar Khurana
• Dr. Gourdas Choudhuri
• Dr. Subhash Gupta

Factors Affecting Affordable liver resection treatment in India

Issues that influence the low-cost liver resection surgery in India:

Choice of City & Hospital

• The cost of Tier-2 cities is usually cheaper by 3040 percent than the Metro such as Delhi, Mumbai, or Bengaluru.

Inpatient/Outpatient Hospital and Accreditation

• There are corporate super-specialty hospitals (Apollo, Fortis, Medanta) which offer highly-technological services at a premium rate.
• NABH-accredited hospitals with mid-levels can afford quality and cost.
• In the case of international patients, selecting hospitals that have medical tourism desks will help them negotiate bundled packages that limit the occurrence of hidden costs.

Surgical Approach & Extent

• There are also chances of open surgery being cheaper than the laparoscopic or robotic resection along with longer recovery time.
• The resections are limited (wedge/segmentectomy) in comparison with lobectomy or extended hepatectomy, which is less expensive.
• Pre-surgical optimization (fatty liver, diabetes, nutrition) prevents the development of complications and additional expenses.

Surgeon’s Fees & Team Costs

• Internationally trained senior surgeons can be more expensive in relation to consultation and surgical fees.
• It can be cost effective to hire expert specialists in the region in state-level institutions without the cost of safety.

Diagnostics & Pre-op Tests

• Additional cost is imaging (MRI, CT, PET), liver biopsy and blood work.
• In-house diagnosis centers are cheaper than outsourcing, as they can be chosen to reduce the costs.

Post-operative Care & ICU Stay

• The ICU bill may also add up to a lot.
• The choice of step-down ICUs or the hospital with a shorter stay is less expensive.
• ERAS protocols are used to reduce hospitalization.

Medical Tourism/ Package Deals

• International patients can benefit with all inclusive packages (surgery + stay + follow-ups) with competitive prices.
• Hospitals that have high procedure volumes are able to provide cheaper alternatives without interfering with the quality (economies of scale).

Liver cancer resection surgery in India

Liver cancer resection surgery (hepatic resection or hepatectomy) is an operation in which part of the liver that has cancer is removed. It is among the primary curative therapies of liver cancer (particularly hepatocellular carcinoma- HCC) in the event that the malignancy remains localized in the liver and the patient is hemodynamically well.

When Liver Resection is Connsidered?

• Primary liver cancer (HCC, cholangiocarcinoma) - a tumor is limited and the remainder of the liver is not diseased (non-cirrhotic or mildly cirrhotic).
• Secondary/ metastatic liver cancer- usually colorectal cancer, breast cancer or neuroendocrine tumors.
• Patients that have sufficient future liver remnant (FLR) - sufficient healthy liver is required to maintain function post-surgery.

Types of Resection

• Wedge Resection / Segmentectomy - removes small part or segment.
• Lobectomy (Hepatic Lobectomy) -debrides an entire lobe (right or left).
• Prolonged Hepatectomy- involves removal of more than one lobe.
• Repeat Hepatectomy- where there is recurrence.

Procedure Overview

• Surgery: Open, laparoscopic or robotic (minimally invasive).

Steps:

• General anaesthesia.
• Location of tumor was determined by imaging or intraoperative ultrasound.
• A portion of the disease is cut off and the large blood vessels and bile ducts are preserved.
• Bleeding control (hemostasis) and the prevention of bile leakage.
• Regeneration: The liver will regenerate in week to months following surgery.

Recovery

• Inpatient: 5-10 days (in case of complications).
• Full recovery: 6–8 weeks.
• Follow-up: frequent imaging (CT/MRI) and blood examination (AFP, LFTs) to identify reoccurrence.

Liver resection in India with GetWellGo

GetWellGo is regarded as a leading supplier of healthcare services. We help our foreign clients choose the best treatment locations that suit their needs both financially and medically.

We offer:

• Complete transparency
• Fair costs.
• 24 hour availability.
• Medical E-visas
• Online consultation from recognized Indian experts.
• Assistance in selecting India's top hospitals for Liver resection treatment.
• Expert hepatologist with a strong track record of success
• Assistance during and after the course of treatment.
• Language Support
• Travel and Accommodation Services
• Case manager assigned to every patient to provide seamless support in and out of the hospital like appointment booking
• Local SIM Cards
• Currency Exchange
• Arranging Patient’s local food