Preoperative Simulation for Bile Duct Carcinoma Surgeries

Abstract

To perform safe, accurate surgeries, preoperative images need to be thoroughly and carefully studied to envision the tumor location and the blood vessels to be dissected. Every surgeon experiences such preoperative work, which is part of the rigorous training they repeatedly receive from his instructor. However, a considerable number of years of training is required, especially in bile duct carcinoma surgeries, to understand the anatomically complex structures of the liver, hilar lesion, and pancreas. Moreover, sharing information between surgeons with differing years of experience has been difficult. However, with the tremendous development in imaging technology of recent years, 3-dimensional computed tomography images can be obtained relatively easily and preoperative simulation performed using these images. Since bile duct carcinoma surgeries are difficult and have a high rate of complications, preoperative simulation should be performed thoroughly to ensure that safe, accurate surgery can be provided.