Usefulness of Infra-hepatic Inferior Vena Cava Clamping During Liver Resection: a Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Background Infra-hepatic vena cava clamping (IIVCC) may reduce blood losses during liver resection. However, available literature is limited to reports from single institutions with a small sample size. To overcome those limitations, we performed a meta-analysis to examine the association between IIVCC and surgical outcomes. Methods A systematic literature review was conducted to identify RCTs reporting on quantitative data on IIVCC. Random effects logistic regression calculated the pooled odds ratio (OR) for each surgical outcome. Results Six studies were identified that included 714 patients, of whom 359 received IIVCC and 355 did not. Patients receiving IIVCC had significantly less total blood loss (MD − 353.08, 95% CI − 393.36 to 312.81, P