Clinical efficacy of totally laparoscopic pylorus-preserving gastrectomy with preservation of the first branch of the right gastroepiploic vein in the treatment of early gastric cancer / 中华消化外科杂志

Objective:To investigate the clinical efficacy of totally laparoscopic pylorus-preserving gastrectomy (TLPPG) with preservation of the first branch of the right gastroepiploic vein in early gastric cancer (EGC).Methods:The retrospective and descriptive study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 38 EGC patients who were admitted to the Subei Hospital Affiliated to Yangzhou University from July 2018 to May 2021 were collected. There were 18 males and 20 females, aged 60 (range, 39?73) years. All patients underwent TLPPG with preservation of the first branch of the right gastroepiploic vein.Observation indicators: (1) surgical and postoperative condi-tions; (2) postoperative histopathological examination. (3) follow-up. Follow-up was conducted using outpatient examination, WeChat interview and medical record review to detect the nutritional status, residual stomach function, cholecystolithiasis, tumor recurrence and metastasis and death of patients. Follow-up was up to July 2022. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD, and measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M(range). Count data were described as absolute numbers. Results:(1) Surgical and postoperative conditions. All 38 patients underwent TLPPG with preservation of the first branch of the right gastroepiploic vein successfully, without laparotomy conversion. The operation time, volume of intraoperative blood loss, time to postoperative first flatus, time to postoperative first liquid food intake and duration of postoperative hospital stay of the 38 patients were (180±28)minutes, (58±38)mL, (2.7±0.6)days, (3.4±0.7)days and (10.3±2.8)days, respectively. Of the 38 patients, there were 6 cases with postoperative complications ≥grade Ⅱ of Clavien-Dindo classification. (2) Postoperative histopatho-logical examination. The tumor diameter, distance from proximal resection margin to tumor and distance from distal resection margin to tumor of the 38 patients were (1.8±0.5)cm, (3.4±0.2)cm and (4.3±0.4)cm, respectively. Both of proximal and distal resection margin was negative. Numbers of lymph node examined and numbers of lymph node examined in the No.6 lymph node of the 38 patients were 23.3±3.9 and 3.4±1.1, respectively. There were 38 cases with pathological T1 stage including 23 cases of T1a stage and 15 cases of T1b stage. There were 36 cases with pathological N0 stage and 2 cases with pathological N1 stage. There were 36 cases with pathological ⅠA stage and 2 cases with pathological ⅠB stage of TNM staging. (3) Follow-up. All 38 patients were followed up for 18(range, 12?48)months. The hemoglobin, serum albumin and total serum protein of the 38 patients were (125.4±5.8)g/L, (42.4±2.3)g/L and (71.6±2.1)g/L, respectively, at postoperative 6 month. Endo-scopy was used to evaluate the function of residual stomach of patients at postoperative 12 month. There were 4 patients with moderate amount of food remaining in the residual stomach. No patient suffered reflux esophagitis, reflux gastritis and bile reflux. None of the 38 patients received post-operative chemotherapy, and there was no tumor recurrence and metastasis or death occured in patient.Conclusion:TLPPG with preservation of the first branch of the right gastroepiploic vein is safe and feasible for the treatment of EGC patients with tumor located at 1/3 of the middle segment of stomach.

Pylorus-preserving gastrectomy and segmental gastrectomy: discrimination of concepts and surgical procedures / 中华胃肠外科杂志

Both pylorus-preserving gastrectomy (PPG) and segmental gastrectomy (SG) achieve the preservation of gastric cardia and pylorus through the circumferential resection of stomach, while concepts and surgical procedures of these two operations are obviously different. In this sense, transectional gastrectomy includes both PPG and SG. PPG is one of the standard surgical procedure for early gastric cancer (EGC). The extent of lymph node dissection (No.1, 3, 4sb, 4d, 6, 7, 8a, 9) and the retention of infrapyloric vessels, hepatic and pyloric branch of vagal nerve has formed a consensus. Meanwhile, SG is regarded as an investigational treatment according to the Japanese gastric cancer treatment guidelines. It is still controversial and may generate an ethical risk in the clinical practice. This article distinguishes the difference in the concepts and surgical procedures between PPG and SG, assisting a comprehensive evaluation in further research.

Functional evaluation after function-preserving gastrectomy / 中华胃肠外科杂志

With the increase of people's health awareness and the progress of medical diagostic technology in recent years, the diagnosis rate of early gastric cancer is increasing year by year. Although radical surgery has good efficacy, how to maximize the preservation of the normal anatomy and function of the stomach and improve the quality of life of patients in the pursuit of radical surgery has become a more important issue in the treatment of early gastric cancer. Under the condition of ensuring radical lymph node dissection, function-preserving gastrectomy can fully preserve gastric function by reducing the resection extent and preserving the pylorus and the vagus nerve, which has advantage of improving quality of life and has great potential in the treatment of early gastric cancer. However, there is no functional evaluation standard for function-preserving gastrectomy at present. Most of the patients are evaluated by quality of life scale, which is relatively subjective. Even though the evaluation of endoscopy, hematology and other objective means can indicate the benefit degree in quality of life brought by functional reconstruction, the evidence level is limited. Therefore, this paper discusses the research status of function-preserving gastrectomy evaluation, postoperative complications, postoperative nutritional status, auxiliary examination and other items in the evaluation of gastric function, and analyzes the prospects of research direction in this field.

A Comparison of Totally Laparoscopic Pylorus Preserving Gastrectomy and Laparoscopy-Assisted Pylorus Preserving Gastrectomy for Early Gastric Cancer

PURPOSE: Pylorus-preserving gastrectomy (PPG) is known to have both nutritional and functional advantages over distal gastrectomy for the treatment of early gastric cancer. Although laparoscopic surgery is a popular choice, intracorporeal anastomosis is a newly developed technique that is gaining popularity. This study aimed to determine any differences in the oncological, surgical, and functional outcomes of intracorporeal and extracorporeal anastomosis after PPG. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on 90 patients for cT1N0 gastric cancer who underwent laparoscopic pylorus preserving gastrectomy from January 2015 to June 2017 at the OOO, Korea; 38 patients underwent intracorporeal (TLPPG) and 52 underwent extracorporeal (LAPPG) anastomosis. The postoperative oncological, surgical, and functional outcomes were compared between the two groups. In order to compare the outcomes in obese patients, the postoperative and functional outcomes in patients with a BMI of ≥25, and in those with abdominal wall thickness measuring ≥28 mm, were evaluated. RESULTS: The TLPPG group showed a significantly reduced wound size (4 cm (3~4) vs 5 cm (5~6), p<0.001) and had fewer wound complaints than the LAPPG group (0.0% vs 15.4%, p=0.01). Postoperative complications were not significantly different between the two groups. In the BMI ≥25 subgroup, the first flatus time after operation was shorter in the TLPPG group (2.9±0.5 vs 3.5±0.8 days, p=0.04). CONCLUSION: The study demonstrates that both TLPPG and LAPPG are safe and feasible, and that there is a potential benefit for obese patients.

The value and key point of function preserving gastrectomy in early gastric cancer / 中国实用外科杂志

With the detection rate of early gastric cancer increases annually, more and more patients can survive for a long time after surgery. Thus, surgeons have paid more attention to preserve the function of the remnant stomach, limit the surgical trauma and improve the quality of life. Pylorus-preserving gastrectomy andlocal gastrectomy are the most common kind of function preserving gastrectomy. The key points we concern are whether they will bring about the risk of radical tumors, whether they will increase the occurrence of surgical complications and whether they are difficult to popularize. The systematic and in-depth study of the key aspects of these function preserving gastrectomy and the provision of a strong evidence-based medical basis will contribute to a new round of innovation in the surgical treatment of early gastric cancer.

Function-Preserving Surgery in Gastric Cancer

The rising incidence of early gastric cancer has enabled the development of function-preserving gastrectomy with the focus on post gastrectomy quality of life and adherence to sound oncologic principles. It is concurrent with the growing popularity of minimally invasive surgery; and both are commonly used together. The different kinds of function-preserving gastrectomy included in this review are: pylorus-preserving and proximal gastrectomy, vagus nerve preservation, sentinel node navigation, and various endoscopic & minimally-invasive techniques. In this article the indications, techniques, oncologic safety, functional benefit, and outcomes of each kind of function-preserving gastrectomy are discussed.

Pylorus-Preserving Gastrectomy for Gastric Cancer

Pylorus-preserving gastrectomy (PPG) is a function-preserving surgery for the treatment of early gastric cancer (EGC), aiming to decrease the complication rate and improve postoperative quality of life. According to the Japanese gastric cancer treatment guidelines, PPG can be performed for cT1N0M0 gastric cancer located in the middle-third of the stomach, at least 4.0 cm away from the pylorus. Although the length of the antral cuff gradually increased, from 1.5 cm during the initial use of the procedure to 3.0 cm currently, its optimal length still remains unclear. Standard procedures for the preservation of pyloric function, infra-pyloric vessels, and hepatic branch of the vagus nerve, make PPG technically more difficult and raise concerns about incomplete lymph node dissection. The short- and long-term oncological and survival outcomes of PPG were comparable to those for distal gastrectomy, but with several advantages such as a lower incidence of dumping syndrome, bile reflux, and gallstone formation, and improved nutritional status. Gastric stasis, a typical complication of PPG, can be effectively treated by balloon dilatation and stent insertion. Robot-assisted pylorus-preserving gastrectomy is feasible for EGC in the middle-third of the stomach in terms of the short-term clinical outcome. However, any benefits over laparoscopy-assisted PPG (LAPPG) from the patient's perspective have not yet been proven. An ongoing Korean multicenter randomized controlled trial (KLASS-04), which compares LAPPG and laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy for EGC in the middle-third of the stomach, may provide more clear evidence about the advantages and oncologic safety of PPG.

The Early Experience with a Laparoscopy-assisted Pylorus-preserving Gastrectomy: A Comparison with a Laparoscopy-assisted Distal Gastrectomy with Billroth-I Reconstruction

PURPOSE: Pylorus-preserving gastrectomy (PPG), which retains pyloric ring and gastric function, has been accepted as a function-preserving procedure for early gastric cancer for the prevention of postgastrectomy syndrome. This study was compared laparoscopy-assisted pylorus-preerving gastrectomy (LAPPG) with laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy with Billroth-I reconstruction (LADGB I). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between November 2006 and September 2007, 39 patients with early gastric cancer underwent laparoscopy-assisted gastrectomy in the Department of Surgery at Korea Cancer Center Hospital. 9 of these patients underwent LAPPG and 18 underwent LADGBI. When LAPPG was underwent, we preserved the pyloric branch, hepatic branch, and celiac branch of the vagus nerve, the infrapyloric artery, and the right gastric artery and performed D1+beta lymphadenectomy to the exclusion of suprapyloric lymph node dissection. The distal stomach was resected while retaining a 2.5~3.0 cm pyloric cuff and maintaining a 3.0~4.0 cm distal margin for the resection. RESULTS: The mean age for patients who underwent LAPPG and LADGBI were 59.9+/-9.4 year-old and 64.1+/-10.0 year-old, respectively. The sex ratio was 1.3:1.0 (male 5, female 4) in the LAPPG group and 2.6:1.0 (male 13, female 5) in the LADGBI group. Mean total number of dissected lymph nodes (28.3+/-11.9 versus 28.1+/-8.9), operation time (269.0+/-34.4 versus 236.3+/-39.6 minutes), estimated blood loss (191.1+/-85.7 versus 218.3+/-150.6 ml), time to first flatus (3.6+/-0.9 versus 3.5+/-0.8 days), time to start of diet (5.1+/-0.9 versus 5.1+/-1.7 days), and postoperative hospital stay (10.1+/-4.0 versus 9.2+/-3.0 days) were not found significant differences (P>0.05). The postoperative complications were 1 patient with gastric stasis and 1 patient with wound seroma in LAPPG group and 1 patient with left lateral segment infarct of liver in the LADGB I group. CONCLUSION: Patients treated by LAPPG showed a comparable quality of surgical operation compared with those treated by LADGBI. LAPPG has an important role in the surgical management of early gastric cancer in terms of quality of postoperative life. Randomized controlled studies should be undertaken to analyze the optimal survival and long-term outcomes of this operative procedure.

Clinical Significance of a Pylorus-preserving Gastrectomy for Early Gastric Cancer

PURPOSE: The five-year survival rate is over 95% for radically resected early gastric cancer. The development of diagnostic techniques enables early detection of gastric cancer, so the life expectancy of patients with early gastric cancer is prolonged. Therefore, a limited number of surgeries are performed these days for the purpose of increasing the quality of life. The purpose of this study is to assess the postoperative quality of life after a pylorus-preserving gastrectomy (PPG) compared with that after a subtotal gastrectomy with gastroduodenal anastomosis (B-I). MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred seven (107) patients who underwent gastric surgery for early gastric cancer from January 1999 to December 2003 at the Department of Surgery of Chonnam National University Hospital were selected. We compared patients who underwent a PPG with those who underwent a B-I. The clinical results were compared by using the chi-square test and the Student's T-test. The data were considered to be significant when the P value was less than 0.05. RESULTS: Twenty-nine patients (29) underwent a PPG, and the other seventy-eight (78) patients underwent a B-I. There was no significant difference between the two groups on sex, age, and postoperative abdominal symptoms. The patients who underwent a PPG showed shorter operation times and less reflux gastritis and esophagitis on endoscopic evaluation than the patients who underwent a B-I. CONCLUSION: The pylorus-preserving gastrectomy (PPG) is a more physiologic operation than the subtotal gastrectomy with gastroduodenal anastomosis (B-I) and improves the postoperative quality of life.

Totally Laparoscopic Pylorus-preserving Gastrectomy with D2 Lymph Node Dissection

To improve postoperative quality of life, and to avoid postgastrectomy syndrome, pylorus-preserving gastrectomy (PPG) is considered as a good option in the middle third early gastric cancer. Convetional PPG has limitation in number 5 lymph node dissection because of preservation of blood supply and nerve innervation to the pylorus. To expand the indication of PPG, limitation on lymph node dissection must be overcomed. In case of laparoscopic PPG, there have been few reports in the literature. Herein we report a case of totally laparoscopic PPG with D2 lymph node dissection with review of literature.

Pylorus-Preserving Gastrectomy for Early Gastric Cancer

BACKGROUND: The physical results after a pylorus-preserving gastrectomy (PPG) for early gastric cancer were evluated. METHODS: From August 1996 to March 1998, sixteen (16) patients underwent a PPG, and 17 patients underwent a conventional distal gastrectomy with Billroth I anastomosis (DG). The patients undergoing the PPG and theDG procedures were assessed for 1 year following their surgical procedure. Changes in body weight, food intake volume, and abdominal symptoms, which were determined from questionaires, gastric-emptying tests using the acetaminophen method, and gastroscopic findings, were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the body weight ratio and the amount of food taken in a meal between the two groups. Patients who had a PPG had fewer postoperative abdominal symptoms than those who underwent a DG. After a DG, emptying was much more rapid. Gastroscopy revealed that the mucosa of the stomach remnant after a PPG was less abnormal than it was after a DG, but food stasis was more frequent after a PPG. CONCLUSION: A PPG is a more physiological operation than a conventional DG and should be used in carefully selected patient with early gastric cancer to improve their quality of life.

Pylorus-Preserving Gastrectomy with Selective Lymphnodal Dissection in Early Gastric Cancer

The major purpose of this study was to assess the post-operative quality of life after performing a pylorus-preserving gastrectomy (PPG) in early gastric cancer patients, comparing the results with patients who underwent a conventional gastrectomy (CG). There were 48 patients with gastric cancer who underwent surgical intervention at the Department of Surgery, Taejon St. Mary's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea School of Medicine from November 1995 through June 1996. Out of 48 gastric cancer patients, 13 patients (27.1 %) were early gastric cancers. Seven patients of these 13 patients underwent a PPG and the others underwent a CG. The indications for PPG were ; 1) a lesion at least 5 cm proximal to the pyloric ring, 2) a lesion in the middle third of the stomach, 3) a lesion less than 40 mm in maximum length, and 4) especially a lesion located at the greater curvature. Localization of the lesion was precisely performed through a gastrotomy during the operation. Dissections of the No. 7, 8, and 9 nodes (D1 +) were performed in cases of ulcerated lesions (type III) or poorly differentiated lesions. The proximal and distal portions of the stomach were anastomosed together 2-3 cm proximal to the pyloric ring to preserve the pyloric function. Gastrografin studies were performed on the sixth or the seventh day following PPG, and disclosed that the pylori were almost normal in appearance and function. Compared to a CG, the duration of nasogastric decompression was longer by one day, the start of oral feeding was delayed by two days, and the duration of the hospital stay was longer by five days after PPG. Three months following PPG, the amount of food taken in a meal was 70-90 % compared to that of the pre-operative amount, oral feedings took place three to four times a day, and the performance status was excellent (grade 0). Endoscopic examination revealed two cases of food stasis without subjective symptoms and a case of bile reflux with minimal mucosal edema after the PPG. After the CG, three out of the six cases had bile reflux with mucosal redness and erosion. In conclusion, it seemed that for early gastric cancer a pylorus-preserving gastrectomy, with selective lymphnodal dissection, was superior to the standard operation in terms of post-operative quality of life.