Perihilar cholangiocarcinoma: A difficult surgery in a difficult patient where experience matters most

Of all the disciplines under the umbrella of general surgery, hepato-pancreato-biliary (HPB) surgery deals with some of the most complicated diseases and technically demanding operations. Indeed, it has been well documented that many HPB procedures have improved outcomes when performed at high case-volume centers or, even more relevant, when performed by highly specialized single HPB surgeons working in a multidisciplinary manner. In most patients with perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (PHCC), a well-planned and meticulously executed “extended liver resection with extrahepatic bile duct resection ‘en-bloc’ with lymphadenectomy ± portal vein resection surgical resection” with R0 surgical margins offers the only chance for potentially curative therapy, which is likely achieved at referral HPB centers.
Source: Surgery - Category: Surgery Authors: Source Type: research