Published online Feb 7, 2013. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v19.i5.755
Revised: December 6, 2012
Accepted: December 15, 2012
Published online: February 7, 2013
Processing time: 110 Days and 14.3 Hours
AIM: To investigate the feasibility of laparoscopy-assisted total gastrectomy (LATG) using trans-orally inserted anvil (OrVilTM) in terms of operative characteristics and short term outcomes.
RESULTS: Characteristics of 27 patients with gastric cancer who underwent LATG from October 2009 to October 2012 in the Foshan Affiliated Hospital of South Medical University were retrospectively reviewed. Among these patients, six were reconstructed by mini-laparotomy and 21 by OrVilTM. The clinicopathological characteristics, total operation time, total blood loss, abdominal incision and complications of anastomosis including stenosis and leakage, were compared between the groups undergoing LATG with OrVilTM and the group undergoing mini-laparotomy.
RESULTS: The operations were successfully performed on all the patients without intraoperative complications or conversion to open surgery. Two (10%) patients received palliative procedure under laparoscope who were prepared for LATG preoperatively. One case had hepatic metastatic carcinoma and 1 case had tumor recurrence near the anastomosis 8 mo after surgery. The mean follow-up duration was 10 mo (range, 2-24 mo). Operation time was significantly reduced by the use of OrVilTM (198.42 ± 30.28 min vs 240.83 ± 8.23 min). The postoperative course with regard to occurrence of stenosis and leakage was not different between the two groups. There were no significant differences in estimated blood loss. The upper abdominal incision was smaller in OrVilTM group than in mini-laparotomy group (4.31 ± 0.45 cm vs 6.43 ± 0.38 cm).
CONCLUSION: LATG using OrVilTM is a technically feasible surgical procedure with sufficient lymph node dissection, less operation time and acceptable morbidity.