MCh · FNB
40 Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery Thesis Topics
Academic session 2026-2027 · 40 topics
This page lists 40 hepato-pancreato-biliary surgery thesis topics for MCh and FNB candidates in India for the 2026-2027 academic session. This is high-complexity, low-volume surgery, and the research design has to match: a unit may perform a few major resections a month, so descriptive series and correlative studies are almost always the honest choice over comparison.
The hepato-pancreato-biliary surgery thesis topics below cover liver resection and its physiological consequences, pancreatic resection and fistula, benign and malignant biliary obstruction, bile duct injury, portal hypertension surgery, liver transplantation, and the imaging and staging questions that precede these operations. Forty rather than fifty, reflecting the field’s true breadth.
Click any topic to open it in the protocol generator with the title already filled in.
- A cross-sectional study of the indications and outcome of major hepatic resectionGet protocol
- An observational study of post-hepatectomy liver dysfunction assessed by an established criterionGet protocol
- A study of blood loss and transfusion requirement during hepatic resectionGet protocol
- An observational study of the outcome of hepatic resection for colorectal liver metastasesGet protocol
- A study of the surgical management and outcome of patients with hepatocellular carcinomaGet protocol
- An observational study of the management and outcome of patients with liver abscess requiring interventionGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of the surgical management of hydatid disease of the liverGet protocol
- A study of the assessment of future liver remnant before major hepatectomyGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of the indications and perioperative outcome of pancreaticoduodenectomyGet protocol
- An observational study of postoperative pancreatic fistula graded by an established classificationGet protocol
- A study of delayed gastric emptying and its determinants after pancreatic resectionGet protocol
- An observational study of the outcome of distal pancreatectomyGet protocol
- A study of the management and outcome of patients with pancreatic pseudocystGet protocol
- An observational study of the surgical management of chronic pancreatitis and pain outcomeGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of the resectability assessment in patients with pancreatic malignancyGet protocol
- A study of the outcome of surgical intervention in patients with infected pancreatic necrosisGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of the aetiology and management of patients with obstructive jaundiceGet protocol
- An observational study of preoperative biliary drainage and its influence on surgical outcomeGet protocol
- A study of the surgical management and outcome of patients with gallbladder malignancyGet protocol
- An observational study of the clinical profile of patients with cholangiocarcinomaGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of the management and outcome of patients with choledochal cystGet protocol
- An observational study of the outcome of biliary enteric anastomosisGet protocol
- A study of the presentation and management of patients with bile duct injuryGet protocol
- An observational study of the long term biliary outcome following repair of bile duct injuryGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of the indications and findings of intraoperative cholangiographyGet protocol
- A study of the management of patients with retained common bile duct stonesGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of the clinical and endoscopic profile of patients with portal hypertension referred for surgeryGet protocol
- An observational study of the outcome of surgical shunt procedures for variceal bleedingGet protocol
- A study of the surgical options and outcome in extrahepatic portal venous obstructionGet protocol
- An observational study of splenectomy and its outcome in patients with portal hypertensionGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of the evaluation and selection of living liver donorsGet protocol
- An observational study of early graft function following living donor liver transplantationGet protocol
- A study of biliary complications in the early period after liver transplantationGet protocol
- An observational study of the intensive care course following liver transplantationGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of the imaging findings and their correlation with operative findings in hepatobiliary diseaseGet protocol
- An observational study of the diagnostic accuracy of cross-sectional imaging in pancreatic massesGet protocol
- A study of the yield and complications of image guided biopsy in hepatobiliary lesionsGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of complications graded by an established classification after hepatobiliary surgeryGet protocol
- An observational study of nutritional status and its association with outcome after major hepatobiliary surgeryGet protocol
- A study of the length of hospital stay and its determinants after pancreatic and hepatic resectionGet protocol
Choosing a Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery thesis topic
What outcomes are specific to hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery?
Post-hepatectomy liver failure defined by an established criterion, postoperative pancreatic fistula graded by the accepted international classification, delayed gastric emptying, bile leak, and complications graded on the Clavien-Dindo scale. These are standardised, internationally comparable and all declare within the admission or shortly after.
How is low volume handled in a protocol?
By choosing a descriptive or correlative design and being explicit about numbers. A study of every pancreaticoduodenectomy performed over two years at a unit doing two a month yields around fifty cases, which is enough to describe complication rates and their associations but not enough to compare two techniques. State the expected number from the theatre register rather than a calculated target.
Can transplant work be included in a residency thesis?
Early outcomes can, where the centre has a functioning programme. Donor evaluation, graft function in the first week, early biliary and vascular complications and length of intensive care stay are all achievable. Graft and patient survival need years. Indian transplant volumes vary enormously between centres, so confirm the programme's annual numbers first.
Thesis and protocol questions
How is a thesis topic different from a thesis protocol?
The topic is the title — the question a study sets out to answer, together with the population and the design. The protocol is the full document built around it: background, review of literature, aims and objectives, inclusion and exclusion criteria, sample size calculation, methodology, statistical plan, ethics considerations, consent documents and references. A topic is agreed with a guide first; the protocol is written afterwards and submitted to the institutional ethics committee.
When does a postgraduate thesis have to be submitted?
For most Indian postgraduate programmes the protocol is submitted within the first six months of joining, and the completed thesis is submitted at least six months before the final examination. Exact deadlines are set by the university, so the departmental circular for the current session takes precedence over any general timeline.
How is sample size decided for a postgraduate thesis?
Sample size follows from the primary objective, not the other way round. A prevalence study is powered from an expected proportion and an acceptable margin of error; a comparative study is powered from the expected difference between groups, the standard deviation, alpha and desired power. The figure should then be checked against the institution's actual case load for the study period, because a statistically ideal sample that cannot be recruited in the time available is not a workable plan.
Does a thesis topic need ethics committee approval?
Yes. Every postgraduate thesis involving human participants, human data or human samples requires clearance from the institutional ethics committee before data collection begins. Approval is granted on the protocol rather than on the title, and the submission usually includes the protocol, the participant information sheet and the consent form in English and in the local language.
What makes a topic realistic for a three-year postgraduate programme?
A workable topic can be completed at a single centre, with equipment and investigations that are already available in routine practice, within roughly eighteen months of data collection. Topics that depend on external funding, specialised assays, multicentre coordination or long follow-up tend to stall. Choosing a condition the department already sees in volume matters more than choosing a novel one.
Can a thesis be published as a research paper afterwards?
Yes, and it is generally expected. A thesis is usually condensed into a paper of around three to four thousand words, restructured into the standard introduction, methods, results and discussion format, with the review of literature shortened considerably. Journals differ in their requirements, and the ethics approval number from the original thesis is normally cited in the methods section.