BackgroundPeri-hilar cholangiocarcinoma (pCCA) is a unique entity, and radical surgery provides the only chance for cure and long-term survival. But it is still under debate which surgical strategy (i.e., left-sided hepatectomy, LH or right-sided hepatectomy, RH) should be followed and benefitted.MethodsWe performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to analyze the clinical outcomes and prognostic value of LH versus RH for resectable pCCA. This study followed the PRISMA and AMSTAR guidelines.ResultsA total of 14 cohort studies include 1072 patients in the meta-analysis. The results showed no statistical difference between the two groups in terms of overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). But compared to the LH group, the RH group exhibited more employment of preoperative portal vein embolization (PVE), higher rate of overall complications, post-hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF), and perioperative mortality, while LH was associated with higher frequency of arterial resection/reconstruction, longer operative time, and more postoperative bile leakage. There was no statistical difference between the two groups in terms of preoperative biliary drainage, R0 resection rate, portal vein resection, intraoperative bleeding, and intraoperative blood transfusion rate.ConclusionsAccording to our meta-analyses, LH and RH have comparable oncological effects on curative resection for pCCA patients. Although LH is not inferior to RH in DFS and OS, it requires more arterial reconstruction which is technically demanding and should be performed by experienced surgeons in high-volume centers. Selectin of surgical strategy between LH and RH should be based on not only tumor location (Bismuth classification) but also vascular involvement and future liver remnant (FLR).Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12957-023-03037-2.