Prevention of Postoperative Bile Leak in Partial Cystectomy for Hydatid Liver Disease: Tricks of the Trade

The presence of postoperative bile leak is the major outcome measure for the assessment of operative success in partial cystectomy for hydatid liver disease. However, the optimal operative strategy to reduce the postoperative bile leak rate is yet to be defined. Medical records of patients who underwent partial cystectomy for hydatid liver disease between January 2013 and January 2015 were reviewed in this retrospective analysis. All patients were managed with a specific operative protocol. The primary outcome measure was the rate of persistent postoperative bile leak. The secondary outcome measures were the morbidity and mortality rate, and the length of hospital stay. Twenty-eight patients were included in the study. Only one patient (3.6 %) developed persistent postoperative bile leak. The overall morbidity and mortality rate was 17.8 and 0 %, respectively. The median length of hospital stay was 5 days. Aggressive preventative surgical measures have led to low persistent bile leak rates with low morbidity and mortality.