Postoperative bile leak after hepato-pancreato-biliary surgery in malignant biliary obstruction: rates, treatments, and outcomes in a high-volume tertiary referral center

This study identified perihilar resection as a risk factor for biliary leakage and trends indicating higher leak rates among patients with advanced comorbidities (ASA III), elevated preoperative bilirubin levels, non-dilated bile ducts, cholangitis or postoperative pancreatic fistula but these associations did not reach statistical significance, likely due to the limited sample size. In the management of anastomotic leakage, conservative and minimally invasive methods are effective; however, most cases required relaparotomy combined with external biliary drainage.