Nothing is impossible: a 110-year-old patient recovered smoothly after partial hepatectomy — a case report

Abstract

Abstract Background The population of centenarians is increasing, and the medical demand of it will also increase. Surgery for centenarians is a considerable challenge for patients and doctors. Case Presentation A 110 year-old woman presented with a history of epigastric pain for 1 month. The abdominal contrast-enhanced CT showed a visible lump with unclear boundaries in the left lateral lobe of liver, about 6*7cm in size. She underwent the open partial hepatectomy and lymph node dissection within 2 hours and 11 minutes. Histopathological examination revealed Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma, stage T2aN0M0. No tumor recurrence was found during the 11 months follow-up. Conclusion To our best knowledge, this woman should be the first case in the world to have had a partial hepatectomy in centenarians. The patient recovered smoothly after surgery. We all know that the main challenge faced by centenarians is the vulnerable bodies are lack of physiological reserve but not the surgery itself. For centenarians, preoperative evaluation, medical optimization, anesthesia management, expeditious surgery, coordinated multidisciplinary and careful perioperative nursing are paramount.