Application of 3D Visualization for Blood Supply of Extrahepatic Bile Ducts

Abstract

In the twenty-first century, primary research in biliary tract surgery has realized remarkable achievements with the tremendous advances of related sciences such as molecular biology, molecular genetics, medical imaging, and clinical anatomy. Issues including the prevention and treatment of ischemic biliary diseases after liver transplantation, and the important role of extrahepatic bile duct blood supply in the occurrence and prevention of biliary tract surgery diseases, are also emerging. Hepatic artery variation is high, and so it is vital to take advantage of 3D visualization technology, to identify and then protect the variant arteries during surgery. The incidence of biliary complications after liver transplantation ranges between 5% and 35% (Ayoub et al. 2010; Balderramo et al. 2011), which is one of the main reasons leading to graft failure or even mortality. With the improvement of the methods and techniques for anastomosis in liver transplantation, the biliary complications caused by technical issues are decreasing, and ischemic-type biliary lesions (ITBL) are the primary type of biliary complications after liver transplantation. Among the various causes of biliary ischemia, the destruction of bile duct blood flow is significant. Notably, the occurrence of extrahepatic bile duct hemorrhage, traumatic bile duct stenosis, and biliary anastomotic fistula may be related to bile duct blood supply injury, so attention has been increasingly paid to the blood supply of the bile duct in hepatobiliary surgery.