[Extent of resection in surgical therapy of central bile duct carcinomas]

The introduction of a radical procedure, the extended bile-duct resection, into the surgical treatment of hilar cholangiocarcinoma significantly increased the rate of curative resections (92% versus 62% after partial hepatic resection; p < 0.05). A comparable effect with respect to survival figures after curative resections did not become evident. Therefore, the true potential of this extended surgical procedure remains to be established.