The role of minimally invasive hepatectomy for hilar and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: A systematic review of the literature.

Despite the fact laparoscopic liver resections (LLR) for cholangiocarcinoma is still limited, this systematic review addressed surgical and oncological outcomes of LLR to treat both perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (pCCA) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA). Five comparative and 20 noncomparative studies were found. Regarding iCCA, LLR had lower blood loss and less need for Pringle maneuver. However, open liver resections (OLR) were performed more for major hepatectomies, with better lymphadenectomy rates and higher number of harvested lymph nodes. High heterogeneity and selection bias were suggested for iCCA studies.