Surgical anatomy of the bile duct branches of the medial segment (B4) of the liver in relation to hilar carcinoma

Abstract

In some patients, hilar bile duct carcinoma can easily spread to the bile duct branches of the caudate lobe (B1) as well as to the bile duct branches of the medial segment (B4), and resection of the inferior portion of the medial segment (S4a) is then required. It is therefore important to understand the detailed anatomy of the B4, its confluence patterns, and its relation to the B1 in order to be able to identify such patients. The confluence pattern of the B4 was studied in 141 specimens (68 adult cadavers and 73 liver casts) and the distance between the left bile duct branches of the caudate lobe (B11) and the B4 was measured in 56 of the 73 casts in which both B11 and B4 were present. Two main gross types of B4 were recognized: type I, in which B4 joined the left hepatic duct (LHD) close to the hilar confluence (35.5%), and type II, in which B4 joined the LHD far from the hilar confluence (54.6%). Analysis of the relationship between B11 and B4 revealed a mean distance between B11 and B4 of 8 mm in type 1, and 17 mm in type II. When the distance is less than 10 mm, B11 and B4 are considered to be located very close to each other, and in such individuals hilar bile duct carcinoma can infiltrate the B4 easily, thereby necessitating the resection of S4a, together with a caudate lobectomy for curative resection. Also, the confluence pattern of the B4 often creates a problem when the LHD is divided and reconstructed during hepatectomy, because of the numerous anatomical variations of the B4 itself. We therefore concluded that a good anatomical knowledge of the B4 and its relation to the B11 is essential in making the decision to perform S4a resection in selected patients with hilar bile duct carcinoma with the aim of curative resection.