The records of 47 patients with no cirrhosis who underwent 56 liver resections under total vascular exclusion (TVE) for malignant tumours, both primary and secondary, were reviewed to study the effects of TVE. The mean (s.e.m.) blood loss was 1651(233) (median 1200 (range 200-8500)) ml and the mean(s.e.m.) intraoperative blood transfusion 930(100) (median 700 (range 0-2800)) ml. In 18 liver resections (32 per cent) no blood transfusion was administered. The mean(s.e.m.) postoperative hospital stay was 19.7(14.2) days. The 30-day operative mortality rate was nil but the hospital mortality rate was 4 per cent. Postoperative prothrombin time was influenced by the amount of liver resected and the duration of TVE but not by the amount of blood transfused. Postoperative serum levels of aspartate aminotransferase and bilirubin were not influenced by either the amount of liver resected or the duration of TVE.