Recent randomized controlled trials in hepatectomy

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have recently been aggressively carried out in the field of liver surgery as well as other surgical fields. This article reviewed RCTs investigating hepatectomy performed during the last decade to provide the most recent evidence in hepatic surgery. More than half of the RCTs have been performed in Asia, especially in Japan and China. RCTs concerning liver ischemia such as procedures for vascular occlusion and preventive measures against ischemia/reperfusion injury have been most frequently carried out. RCTs on surgical procedures including devices to transect liver parenchyma and methods of hilar approach, chemotherapy, and complication follow after that in numerical order. Current evidence regarding hepatectomy, especially focusing on perioperative procedures, is summarized here based on a review of RCTs excluding "small-scale" trials with sample numbers less than 50.