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. 2010 Dec;10(4):241-6.
doi: 10.5230/jgc.2010.10.4.241. Epub 2010 Dec 31.

The Early Experience of Laparoscopy-assisted Gastrectomy for Gastric Cancer at a Low-volume Center

Shi Jun Yang  1 , Eun Jung Ahn, Sei Hyeog Park, Jong Heung Kim, Jong-Min Park
Affiliations

The Early Experience of Laparoscopy-assisted Gastrectomy for Gastric Cancer at a Low-volume Center

Shi Jun Yang et al. J Gastric Cancer. 2010 Dec.

Abstract

Purpose: Laparoscopy-assisted gastrectomy (LAG) has become a technically feasible and safe procedure for early gastric cancer treatment. LAG is being increasingly performed in many centers; however, there have been few reports regarding LAG at low-volume centers. The aim of this study was to report our early experience with LAG in patients with gastric cancer at a low-volume center.

Materials and methods: The clinicopathologic data and surgical outcomes of 39 patients who underwent LAG for gastric cancer between April 2007 and March 2010 were retrospectively reviewed.

Results: The mean age was 68.3 years. Thirty-one patients had medical co-morbidities. The mean patient ASA score was 2.0. Among the 39 patients, 4 patients underwent total gastrectomies and 35 patients underwent distal gastrectomies. The mean blood loss was 145.4 ml and the mean operative time was 259.4 minutes. The mean time-to-first flatus, first oral intake, and the postoperative hospital stay was 2.8, 3.1, and 9.3 days, respectively. The 30-day mortality rate was 0%. Postoperative complications developed in 9 patients, as follows: anastomotic leakage, 1; wound infection, 1; gastric stasis, 2; postoperative ileus, 1; pneumonia, 1; cerebral infarction, 1; chronic renal failure, 1; and postoperative psychosis, 1.

Conclusions: LAG is technically feasible and can be performed safely at a low-volume center, but an experienced surgical team and careful patient selection are necessary. Furthermore, for early mastery of the learning curve for LAG, surgeons need education and training in addition to an accumulation of cases.

Keywords: Gastrectomy; Laparoscopy; Stomach neoplasms.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Operative time of the each case.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Postoperative hospital stay of the each case.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
The numbers of operations per month.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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