Clinical impact of intraoperative bile leakage during laparoscopic liver resection

Despite the increasing number of laparoscopic liver resection (LLR) procedures, postoperative bile leakage (POBL) remains a major complication. We occasionally experienced intraoperative bile leakage (IOBL) during LLR and managed it within the restrictions of laparoscopic surgery. However, there have been no reports about IOBL in LLR. We therefore investigated the impact of IOBL on postoperative outcomes and its predictive factors.

We reviewed 137 patients who underwent LLR from April 2016 to March 2019 at our institute and assigned them to IOBL-positive or IOBL-negative groups. We compared clinicopathological characteristics and perioperative outcomes. Patients were further divided into four groups according to IOBL pattern, and the frequency of POBL in each was calculated. Predictors of IOBL were identified using multivariate logistic regression analysis.

There were 30 and 107 patients in the IOBL-positive and IOBL-negative groups, respectively. In the IOBL-positive group, operative time and postoperative hospital stays were significantly longer (P < 0.001). The frequency of POBL was significantly higher in the IOBL-positive group (P = 0.006). The IOBL-positive group was divided into two subgroups: IOBL from the transected parenchyma (IOBL-TP, n = 18) and from the main Glissonean pedicle (IOBL-mGP, n = 12). The IOBL-negative group was divided into two subgroups: bile staining in the mGP (BS-mGP, n = 9) and no change (NC, n = 98). POBL occurred in 11% (n = 2/18) of patients with IOBL-TP, 25% (n = 3/12) of those with IOBL-mGP, 11% (n = 1/9) of those with BS-mGP, and 1% (n = 1/98) of those with NC. Age, diabetes mellitus, indocyanine green retention rate, and Glissonean approach were predictors of IOBL (P < 0.05).

IOBL was relatively common during LLR and resulted in a higher incidence of POBL. Depending on the predictive factors, IOBL must be promptly identified and appropriately managed.