Treatment strategy for isolated bile leakage after hepatectomy: Literature review

Isolated bile leakage (IBL) after hepatectomy is intractable, and various treatment methods for it have been reported. This review aimed to clarify the treatment strategy for IBL by summarizing studies on IBL after hepatectomy without extrahepatic bile duct resection. Thirty-three cases of IBL were reported. The incidence of IBL is very low, accounting for 0.1%-1% of all hepatectomy cases. The risk factors for IBL are unclear; however, several reports mention that biliary anomaly is associated with a high risk of IBL, with preoperative and intraoperative confirmation of biliary tree anatomy being the most important preventive strategy. Treatment methods for IBL include liver resection, bilioenteric anastomosis, endoscopic treatment, bile duct ablation, percutaneous transhepatic portal vein embolization (PTPE), transcatheter arterial embolization, and use of fibrin glue. The therapeutic methods should be chosen depending on remnant liver function, amount of bile leakage, and the liver volume causing the bile leakage. When there is bile leakage from less than one segment, non-surgical treatment is recommended, whereas when there is bile leakage from one or more segments, surgical treatment can be recommended. Nevertheless, recently, non-surgical treatment such as PTPE, PTPE with bile duct ablation, and endoscopic methods have been considered as effective treatment approaches.