Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy of precise hepatectomy for the treatment of recurrent unilateral hepatolithiasis and prognostic factors.

Methods The retrospec-tive case-control study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 166 patients with recurrent unilateral hepatolithiasis who were treated by precise hepatectomy in the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University from January 2015 to January 2021 were collected. There were 51 males and 115 females, aged (58±12)years. Observation indicators: (1)diagnosis and classification; (2) surgical and intraoperative situations; (3) postoperative situations; (4) follow-up; (5) analysis of prognostic factors. Follow-up was conducted using the outpatient examination and telephone inter-view to detect final stone clearance or recurrence and survival of patients up to August 2021. Patients with T-tube were performed T-tube cholangiography or choledochoscopy to evaluate the final stone clearance rate at postoperative week 8. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean±SD, and measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M(range). Count data were described as absolute numbers or percentages. Univariate and multi-variate analyses were conducted using the Logistic regression model.

Results (1) Diagnosis and classifica-tion: 166 patients were diagnosed as hepatolithiasis by preoperative imaging examination and intraoperative evaluation, including 134 cases with common bile duct stones. Of the 166 patients, 115 cases had stones located in the left lobe of liver and 51 cases had stones located in the right lobe of liver. There were 111 cases with bile pigment stones, 31 cases with cholesterol stones, 24 cases with mixed type of stones. There were 9 cases classified as Tsunoda type Ⅰ, 89 cases as Tsunoda type Ⅱ, 65 cases as Tsunoda type Ⅲ, 3 cases as Tsunoda type Ⅳ. There were 12 cases classified as type Ⅰ, 99 cases as type Ⅱ, 47 cases as type Ⅲ, 8 cases as type Ⅳ according to Japanese classification in 2001. All the 166 patients were classified as type Ⅰ based on Chinese classification. According to the classification of author team, 166 patients were classified as type Ⅱ. (2) Surgical and intra-operative situations: 119 of 166 patients had liver lobe or segment atrophy. All the 166 patients underwent precise hepatectomy combined with different methods of drainage, of which 28 cases underwent left hemihepatectomy, 11 cases underwent right hemihepatectomy, 1 case underwent liver resection of segment Ⅰ, 5 cases underwent liver resection of segment Ⅱ, 5 cases underwent liver resection of segment Ⅲ, 8 cases underwent liver resection of segment Ⅳ (left medial lobe), 3 cases underwent liver resection of segment Ⅴ, 2 cases underwent liver resection of segment Ⅵ, 2 cases underwent liver resection of segment Ⅷ, 68 cases underwent liver resection of segment Ⅱ and Ⅲ (left lateral lobe), 3 cases underwent liver resection of segment Ⅴ and Ⅵ, 6 cases underwent liver resection of segment Ⅴ and Ⅷ (right anterior lobe), 21 cases underwent liver resection of segment Ⅵ and Ⅶ (right posterior lobe), 1 case underwent liver resection of segment Ⅱ, Ⅲ and Ⅳa, 1 case underwent liver resection of segment Ⅴ, Ⅵ and Ⅶ, 1 case underwent liver resection of segment Ⅰ, Ⅱ, Ⅲ and Ⅳ. For biliary drainage methods of 166 patients, 120 patients received T-tube external drainage, 23 cases received choledochojejunostomy, 23 cases received choledochojejunostomy combined with T-tube external drainage. The original cholangiojejunal anastomotic stenosis was found and reconstructed in 10 patients. The operation time was (258±87)minutes and intraopera-tive blood transfusion rate was 16.87%(28/166) of 166 patients. All the 166 patients underwent fiber choledochoscopy, showing 77 cases with normal function of Oddi sphincter, 38 cases with disorder, 40 cases with dysfunction. There were 11 patients undergoing choledochojejunostomy who were not evaluate the function of Oddi sphincter. There were 21.69%(36/166)of patients with intra-hepatic biliary stricture. One hundred and forty-nine of 166 patients were conducted bile culture, showing the positive rate as 75.17%(112/149). There were 22 cases cultured multiple kinds of bacteria. The most common bacterium was Escherichia coli (43 cases), followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa (12 cases), Klebsiella pneumoniae (9 cases), Klebsiella oxytoca (7 cases), Enterococcus faecium (7 cases). (3) Postoperative situations. The postoperative complication rate of 166 patients was 16.87%(28/166). In the 8 patients with serious complications of Clavien-Dindo grade Ⅲ, 6 cases were performed thoracocentesis or abdominocentesis for effusion, 1 case was stopped bleeding under gastroscopy for stress ulcerbleeding, 1 case was performed surgery for adhesive intestinal obstruction. Two patients with septic shock of Clavien-Dindo grade Ⅳ were converted to intensive care unit for treatment and discharged after recovery. There were 13 patients with biliary leakage, 10 patients with pulmonary infection, 6 cases with incision infection, which were improved after conservative treatments. There was no perioperative death. The instant stone clearance rate of 166 patients was 81.93%(136/166). The duration of postoperative hospital stay of 166 patients was (11±6)days. (4) Follow-up: 166 patients were followed up for (37±17)months. The final stone clearance rate and stone recurrence rate of 166 patients were 94.58%(157/166) and 16.87%(28/166), respectively. According to Terblanche classification of prognosis, there were 91, 36, 25, 14 cases of grade Ⅰ, Ⅱ, Ⅲ, Ⅳ in 166 patients, respectively. Five of the 166 patients underwent intrahepatic secondary malignancy in which 4 cases died. (5) Analysis of prognostic factors: results of univariate analysis showed that biliary culture, the number of previous surgeries, immediate stone clearance, final stone clearance were related factors affecting the prognosis of precise hepatectomy in patients with recurrent unilateral hepatolithiasis (odds ratio=2.29, 7.48, 2.69, 4.52, 95% confidence interval as 1.09‒4.85, 2.80‒19.93, 1.16‒6.25, 1.15‒17.77, P<0.05). Results of multivariate analysis showed that the number of previous surgeries ≥3 was an independent risk factor affecting the prognosis of precise hepatectomy in patients with recurrent unilateral hepato-lithiasis (odds ratio=6.05, 95% confidence interval as 2.20‒16.62, P<0.05).

Conclusions Precise hepatectomy is safe and effective for the treatment of patients with recurrent unilateral hepato-lithiasis. The number of previous surgeries ≥3 is an independent risk factor affecting the prognosis of precise hepatectomy in patients with recurren t unilateral hepatolithiasis.