A Clear Difference Between the Outcomes After a Major Hepatectomy With and Without an Extrahepatic Bile Duct Resection.

BACKGROUND

The procedure of a simple hepatectomy and a hepatectomy with an extrahepatic bile duct resection and subsequent choledocho-jejunostomy is largely different. However, these two procedures are sometimes included in the same category. There are no studies comparing postoperative course and liver regeneration rate after a major hepatectomy with and without an extrahepatic bile duct resection.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed medical records of 245 patients who underwent a right hepatectomy (RH, n = 55) or RH with an extrahepatic bile duct resection (RHEBR, n = 190). Postoperative complications, including incidence of posthepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) and hepatic regeneration rates after surgery, were evaluated.

RESULTS

The incidence of PHLF was considerably higher in the RHEBR group than in the RH group (39.5 vs. 16.4 %, p = 0.001). The percentage of newly regenerated liver volume after the hepatectomies on postoperative days 6-8 was significantly lower in the RHEBR group than in the RH group (14.0 % in the RH; 7.9 % in the RHEBR group, p < 0.001). Especially type of surgery (RHEBR) was the only independent risk factor for an impaired liver regeneration rate by univariate and multivariate analyses. Furthermore, estimated hepatic regeneration rate by stepwise linear regression analysis in the RHEBR group was 7.1 % lower (95 % confidence interval 1.8-12.3, p = 0.011) than in the RH group.

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that the procedure of extrahepatic bile duct resection has a possibility of adverse impact on the postoperative outcome after major hepatectomy.