[Hilar cholangiocarcinoma]

Hilar cholangiocarcinoma is defined as a malignant neoplasm involving right and left main hepatic ducts and/or its confluency. The disease is more prevalent in East Asia including Korea than Western countries and it may be due to the facts that hepatolithiasis, clonorchiasis and congenital anomaly of bile ducts are more frequent in this region. In this review, we will discuss about radiologic, endoscopic, and TNM staging along with preoperative assessment for surgical strategy in patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma.