Published online Jan 15, 2020. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v12.i1.21
Peer-review started: March 19, 2019
First decision: July 31, 2019
Revised: October 9, 2019
Accepted: November 4, 2019
Article in press: November 4, 2019
Published online: January 15, 2020
Processing time: 287 Days and 15.2 Hours
In addition to the popularity of laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG), many reconstructive procedures after LG have been reported. Surgical resection and lymphatic dissection determine long-term survival; however, the election of a reconstruction procedure determines the postoperative quality of life for patients with gastric cancer (GC). Presently, no consensus exists regarding the optimal reconstructive procedure. In this review, the current state of digestive tract reconstruction after LG is reviewed. According to the determining influence of the tumor site on the procedures of surgical resection and reconstruction, we divide these reconstruction procedures into three categories consistent with the resection procedures. We focus on the technical tips of every reconstruction procedure and examine the surgical outcomes (length of surgery and blood loss) and postoperative complications (anastomotic leakage and stricture) to facilitate gastrointestinal surgeons to understand the merits and demerits of every reconstruction procedure.
Core tip: This article systematically reviews almost all the reconstruction methods currently used and divides them into three categories according to the method of resection (laparoscopic distal gastrectomy, laparoscopic total gastrectomy, and laparoscopic proximal gastrectomy). This review clearly demonstrates the key steps, merits, and demerits of every reconstruction method via drawing schematics based on the authors’ personal experience.