[Laparoscopic Gastro-Jejunostomy Using the Overlap Method after Subtotal Gastrectomy for Upper Gastric Cancer].

BACKGROUND

Due to an aging society, patients with gastric cancer are also getting older. Although total gastrectomy should be avoided for elderly patients, laparoscopic subtotal gastrectomy(LSTG)is a technically demanding procedure. Here, we present a safe procedure of gastro-jejunostomy using the overlap method.

METHODS

After transection of the stomach using gastroscopy, an entry hole was created at the center of the staple line of the remnant stomach. The jejunum was anastomosed to the dorsal wall of the gastric remnant with a linear stapler, and the entry hole was closed by hand-sewn sutures. Nineteen patients with gastric cancer in the upper third of the stomach underwent LSTG using this technique, and the short-term clinical outcomes were analyzed retrospectively.

RESULTS

The median operative time was 221 minutes(143-318), and the median blood loss was 10 mL(3-100). The median postoperative hospital stay was 7 days(6-13), and there were no complications related to anastomosis.

CONCLUSIONS

The short-term clinical outcomes of the laparoscopic gastro-jejunostomy using the overlap method after LSTG reveal that this technique is safe and feasible to use for improving patient outcomes.