Intraperitoneal and Extraperitoneal Pringle Hepatic Hilar Occlusion in Laparoscopic Liver Resection: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Study

This prospective randomized controlled study was conducted to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the Pringle hepatic hilar occlusion with a bulldog clamp in laparoscopic liver resection.

From March 1, 2020 to July 31, 2021, 80 patients were enrolled, including 40 undergoing intraperitoneal Pringle maneuver (IPM) and 40 extraperitoneal Pringle maneuver (EPM). The observation indices included basic preoperative clinical characteristics and intraoperative and postoperative liver function indices.

There were no significant differences in the basic characteristics or types of hepatectomy, intraoperative blood loss, intraoperative blood transfusion, or hepatectomy time between the IPM and EPM groups. However, the blocking and operation time in the IPM group was shorter than that in the EPM group. There were no significant differences in alanine aminotransferase (ALT) or aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels on the first day after surgery or in total bilirubin (TBIL) or albumin (ALB) levels on the first, third, or fifth days after surgery. However, C-reactive protein (CRP) levels on the first and third days, ALT and AST levels on the third and fifth days were lower, and hospital stay after surgery was shorter in the IPM group than in the EPM group.

IPM using bulldog clamps is simple, safe, and effective. The inflammatory reaction is less severe, the degree of liver function injury is lower, and recovery is faster.