Postoperative Bile Leak

Bile leakage is a clinically important complication after liver resection in children and may require prolonged drainage, additional radiological or endoscopic procedures, or repeat surgery. The risk may be particularly high in patients with tumors adjacent to the hilar plate of the future liver remnant and tumors involving three adjoining liver sections. This prospective, single-center, open-label interventional study will enroll 12 children and adolescents aged 0 to 18 years who are undergoing liver resection and are considered to have a high risk of postoperative bile leakage. All participants will undergo prophylactic extrahepatic biliary drainage during liver resection. The study hypothesis is that prophylactic biliary drainage will reduce the incidence of bile leakage within 90 days after surgery compared with a prespecified historical cohort of high-risk patients treated at the same center. Participants will be followed for 90 days after liver resection. The primary outcome is the incidence of bile leakage during this period. Secondary outcomes include unsuccessful biliary drainage attempts, intraoperative complications, postoperative complications, and serious complications.