Operative Outcome of Laparoscopy-assisted Gastrectomy with Lymph Node Dissection in 117 Consecutive Patients with Gastric Cancer: A Single-center Experience

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility and safety of laparoscopy-assisted gastrectomy (LAG) with lymph node dissection for gastric cancer according to the analysis of postoperative complications. METHODS: The authors attempted LAG with lymph node dissection in 117 consecutive patients with gastric cancer. The clinicopathologic characteristics of the patients, operative outcomes, preoperative comorbidities and postoperative morbidities and mortalities were evaluated using the stomach cancer database of Dong-A university hospital and medical charts. RESULTS: Among the 114 successful patients, 100 had early gastric cancer and 14 had advanced gastric cancer. The mean operation time was 259.2 minutes (range 150~415). The mean number of retrieved lymph nodes was 23.4 (range 6~66). The mean time to the first flatus and postoperative hospital stay were 3.7 and 10.0 days, respectively. The overall operative mortality rate, hospital death rate and the overall rate of postoperative complications were 0, 1.7 and 14.7%, respectively. The major and minor complication rate were 4.3 and 10.4%, respectively. CONCLUSION: LAG with lymph node dissection is technically feasible and receptive as surgical treatment for patients with gastric cancer, although various postoperative complications can arise in LAG as they do in open gastrectomy.