title: Hand-assisted laparoscopic distal gastrectomy with regional lymph node dissection for gastric cancer.
abstract: Recently, a minimally invasive operation for gastric malignancies has been advocated, and the laparoscopic operation is noted as a technique that raises the quality of life. We performed distal gastrectomy with regional lymph node dissection by hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery for 60 cases of gastric cancer located in the middle or lower third of the stomach. Billroth I reconstruction was applied intracorporeally to the first 30 cases by using the double stapling method with a conventional circular stapling device, and in the final 30 cases, the quadrilateral (square) stapling technique with a laparoscopic linear stapling device was used to prevent postoperative anastomotic bleeding. This technique not only is less invasive, but also is similarly curative compared with open gastrectomy that was performed for 60 gastric cancer cases of similar staging before the beginning of this procedure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Osaka City General Hospital, Osaka, Japan. stoghjpn@aol.com
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tanimura
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Higashino
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fukunaga
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Osugi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000714:Anastomosis, Surgical; D005743:Gastrectomy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008875:Middle Aged; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D017792:Surgical Stapling