Background/aims: Bile leakage is a major morbidity associated with hepatectomies. No study has been performed correlating various methods of liver transection to incidences of bile leakage.
Methodology: The 89 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who received hepatectomy were classified into 3 groups according to the specific method of liver resection: cavitron ultrasonic surgical aspirator (CUSA), microwave tissue coagulation (MTC), and clamp crushing (CC). Comparisons in the incidences of bile leakage and length of hospital stay were made among these groups.
Results: The CC group showed a significantly lower incidence of bile leakage than the MTC group (3% vs. 27%, P = 0.03). In the median postoperative hospitalization length, the CC group demonstrated a significantly shorter period than that in the MTC group (25 vs. 35 days, P = 0.03). No significant differences were found for operation time, amount of blood loss or resected tumor size in the 3 groups.
Conclusions: In view of the incidence of bile leakage, CC is a favorable technique for hepatectomy.