Selection criteria for laparoscopic ablation of HCC patients at the Padua University Hospital.

CRPH, clinically relevant portal hypertension; HCC, hepatocellular carcinoma; GI, gastro intestinal; MELD, model for end stage liver disease.*AASLD criteria [1] for liver resection were generally followed when tumor location or extension required a major hepatectomy (resection of more than 2 liver segments). In selected cases major liver resection was performed also in HCC patients not following the guidelines [1], using technical expedients such as a porto-caval shunt.#In selected HCC patients with Child-Pugh C cirrhosis waiting for liver transplantation LA was considered as a bridging therapy: these patients were not included in this study.