resektions

Resektion, or resections, refer to surgical procedures that remove part or all of an organ, tissue, or lesion. In English-language medical usage, the term “resection” is common, while resektions is the plural form found in German-language literature. The goal of a resection is to achieve removal of diseased tissue while preserving as much healthy function as possible, often with the aim of achieving clear margins.

Types and concepts. Resections can be anatomical or non-anatomical. Anatomical resections remove an entire anatomical unit or segment of tissue, such as a liver lobe or a lung segment, whereas non-anatomical (limited) resections remove only the lesion with a safe margin, potentially sparing more surrounding tissue. In oncologic surgery, the aim is an R0 resection, meaning no microscopic residual tumor; margins are assessed by pathology. R1 or R2 resections indicate microscopic or macroscopic residual disease, respectively.

Indications. Resections are performed for malignant tumors, benign tumors, inflammatory or obstructive diseases, trauma, and some congenital conditions. Common examples include bowel resections (colectomy or small-bowel resection), liver resections (hepatectomy), lung resections (lobectomy or segmentectomy), and gastric resections (gastrectomy). Pancreaticoduodenectomy and other organ-sparing approaches are also used depending on disease location and extent.

Preoperative and intraoperative considerations. Planning relies on imaging, tissue diagnosis, and assessment of functional reserve and comorbidities. Intraoperatively, surgeons control blood vessels, perform necessary anastomoses to restore continuity, and may use intraoperative pathology to confirm margins.

Risks and outcomes. Potential complications include bleeding, infection, anastomotic leakage, and organ dysfunction. When complete resection with negative margins is achieved, oncologic outcomes tend to be better, but patient recovery and complication risk vary by indication and extent of resection.