Preliminary study of a new pathological evolution-based clinical hepatolithiasis classification

AIM:To investigate clinical features,treatment strategies and outcomes of patients with hepatolithiasis(HL)undergoing surgical treatment,using a new clinicalclassification.METHODS:Sixty-eight HL patients were hospitalized and treated surgically from August 2011 to December2012 and they were classified into four HL types according to pathological evolution of the disease.These four HL types included typeⅠprimary type(defined as no previous biliary tract surgery),typeⅡinflammatory type(with previous biliary tract surgery and cholangitis),typeⅢmass-forming type(HL complicated by hepatic mass-forming lesion),and typeⅣterminal type(with secondary biliary cirrhosis and resultant portal hypertension).The perioperative data including general information,imaging data,postoperative complications,and immediate and final stone clearance rate were obtained and analyzed.RESULTS:In all 68 patients,the proportion of HL typeⅠ-Ⅳwas 50%(34/68),36.8%(25/68),10.3%(7/68)and 2.8%(2/68),respectively.Abdominal pain was the main clinical manifestation in typeⅠ(88.2%),fever was predominant in typeⅡ(52.0%),the malignancy rate in typeⅢwas high(71.4%),and portal hypertension and spleen enlargement were common in typeⅣ(2/2,100.0%).Liver resection rate for typesⅠ-Ⅲwas 79.4%,72.0%and 71.4%,respectively.The overall incidence of postoperative complications was23.5%(16/68).There were no perioperative deaths.The average length of hospital stay was 12.7±7.3 d.Immediate and final stone clearance rate was 73.5%(50/68)and 89.7%(61/68),respectively.Fifty-nine of68 patients(86.8%)were followed-up for>1 year after surgery,and 96.6%of these patients(57/59)had a good quality of life according to a criterion recommended for postoperative evaluation of quality of life.CONCLUSION:The pathological evolution-based clinical classification of HL has a role in optimizingtreatment strategy,and patients can benefit from thisclassification when it is used properly.