Objective:To compare the short-term clinical outcomes of patients undergoing laparoscopic versus open radical resection of hilar cholangiocarcinoma.Methods:The clinical data of 91 patients who underwent radical resection for hilar cholangiocarcinoma at our hospital from January 2018 to June 2021 were analyzed retrospectively. There were 48 males and 43 females, with aged of (61.51±7.18) years old. The patients were divided into the laparotomy group ( n=59) and the laparoscopic group ( n=32) based on the operations they received. The general data, perioperative data and complications of the two groups were compared. Results:There was no perioperative death in the laparoscopic group, but one patient died of abdominal bleeding in the laparotomy group. All other patients recovered from postoperative complications with treatment. When compared with patients in the laparotomy group, the operation time [(381.28±102.37) vs. (296.81±84.74) min] and biliary intestinal anastomosis time [(17.81±2.81) vs. (15.19±2.27) min] were significantly longer in the laparoscopic group. However, the postoperative hospital stay [(12.34±3.46) vs. (15.10 ± 4.48) d], bed rest time [(3.38±0.66) vs. (5.24±0.88) d], analgesic time [(4.31±0.90) vs. (6.22±1.26) d] and postoperative time to first feeding [(3.91±0.89) vs. (5.32±0.86) d] were significantly lower ( P<0.05). There were no significant differences in amounts of intraoperative bleeding, numbers of lymph node harvested and incidences of postoperative complications between groups ( P>0.05). Conclusion:Under the premise of strictly indications, laparoscopic radical resection of hilar cholangiocarcinoma was safe and feasible, and had certain advantages in promoting the rapid recovery of patients.