Hepatobiliary surgery at Methodist Hospital Specialty and Transplant

Hepato-pancreato-biliary (HPB) surgery, more commonly known as hepatobiliary surgery focuses on treating cancer and diseases of the liver, pancreas, bile duct and gallbladder. Those diagnosed with HPB diseases typically experience metastatic tumors in these organs or benign diseases such as cysts, bile duct injuries, gallstones and portal hypertension. At Methodist Hospital | Specialty and Transplant, our multidisciplinary team of highly trained health professionals pair their clinical expertise and compassion with the latest in advanced technologies to provide a comprehensive treatment options, close to home.

To learn more about our hepatobiliary service line, please call our HPB cancer coordinator at 210-575-1020.

Conditions we treat:

Liver

• Hepatocellular carcinoma
• Metastatic liver cancers (colorectal, neuro-endocrine, etc.)
• Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma
• Liver cysts and polycystic disease
• Hemangiomas
• Focal nodular hyperplasia
• Hepatic adenoma

Pancreas

• Pancreatic cancer
• Pancreatic neoplasms (IPMN,mucinous cystadenoma)
• Neuroendocrine tumors (insulinoma, carcinoid tumors, glucagonoma,VIPoma, etc)
• Acute and chronic pancreatitis
• Pancreatic cysts and pseudocysts

Biliary System (Bile Ducts and Gallbladder)

• Bile duct cancers (hilarcholangiocarcinoma/Klatskin tumors)
• Bile duct injuries
• Gallbladder cancer

Treatment options for Hepatobiliary diseases:

• Surgical treatment options
• Minimally invasive complex procedures
• Open complex procedures
• Interventional Radiology
• Chemoembolization (TACE)
• theraspheres (Ytrium-90),
• portal vein embolization,
• microwave ablation
• ethanol ablation.
• Pre and Post operative chemotherapy
• Radiation therapy
• Coordinated care surveillance with several oncology teams across South Texas

Causes of Hepatobiliary diseases

Diseases of the liver and biliary system can be caused by:

• Viral, bacterial and parasitic infections
• Neoplasia
• Toxic chemicals
• Alcohol consumption
• Poor nutrition
• Metabolic disorders
• Cardiac failure

Diagnosing Hepatobiliary diseases

Tumors in the liver are typically diagnosed with computed tomography (CT) scans or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of the abdomen or blood work. Although these tests could be enough to determine the type of liver tumor, patients could also require a biopsy to confirm the diagnosis.

Pancreas, bile duct and gallbladder tumors also require CT and MRI scans to make the initial diagnosis. Sometimes, an endoscopy is needed to pinpoint the exact problem. We use the latest in computed tomography, the CT Force, for cross-sectional imaging. It generates cross-sectional images of the body with less radiation, better resolution and twice the information in the same scan. The CT Force uses color overlay with finer and more slices to detect smaller nodules sooner. Our advanced MRI provides multi-slice, 3D imaging for high quality, complex MRI exams with fewer rescans that results in improved patient comfort. Specialty and Transplant also uses an endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) to produce detailed images of a patient’s pancreas and liver.

To be evaluated for hepatobiliary disease, patients should contact the HPB cancer coordinator at Methodist Hospital |Specialty and Transplant.

A multidisciplinary Approach - Liver Tumor Consortium (LTC)

The Liver Tumor Consortium (LTC) is a multidisciplinary team of health professionals that includes surgeons, hepatologists, oncologists, and radiologists review the clinical and radiological information of all patients. This LTC makes consensus decisions in a multi-disciplinary fashion to provide state of the art care for these patients. HPB cancer coordinator and navigators help expedite and deliver the comprehensive care in a timely fashion.

Physicians may refer patients to Methodist Hospital | Specialty and Transplant by calling our hepatobiliary cancer coordinator at (210) 575-1020. The hepatobiliary cancer coordinator can provide additional information for the referral process.