Prevention of biliary leakage after partial liver resection using topical hemostatic agents

Liver resection is widely accepted as the only potentially curative treatment in malignant or benign hepatobiliary lesions. Although not frequent, biliary leakage is a postoperative complication which may have considerable consequences. The field of topical hemostatic agents is rapidly developing, with various products currently available. This article reviews the risk factors associated with biliary leakage and the methods used for testing or prevention of biliary leakage. A literature search was performed using key words related to experimental and clinical studies dealing with biliary leakage. Experimental studies assessed the potential bilio-static effect of different topical hemostatic agents after bile duct reconstruction. Clinical series show biliary leakage rates up to 12%. There is no evidence that flushing of the bile duct system after resection reduces the incidence of biliary leakage. Further controlled studies are needed to clarify the preventive effect of topical hemostatic agents on biliary leakage after liver resection.