title: Functional evaluation after vagus-nerve-sparing laparoscopically assisted distal gastrectomy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Vagus nerve-sparing laparoscopically assisted distal gastrectomy (Vs-LADG) for early gastric cancer has been introduced to reduce postgastrectomy syndrome, but its clinical and functional outcomes remain unclear.
  
  
  METHODS
  Of the 105 patients reviewed in this study, 75 underwent Vs-LADG and 30 underwent laparoscopically assisted distal gastrectomy (LADG) for gastric cancer between January 1999 and May 2006. The clinical and functional outcomes of these two groups were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The clinical and pathologic background between the two groups did not differ. The incidence of gallstone was significantly lower in the Vs-LADG group than in the LADG group (p < 0.05), but no differences existed in duration of surgery, intraoperative blood loss, number of retrieved lymph nodes, time to first flatus after surgery, or length of hospital stay between the two groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  As shown by the findings, Vs-LADG is a safe and minimally invasive surgery that may decrease the incidence of gallstone formation after gastrectomy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Esophagogastric Surgery, Tokyo Medical and Dental University Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. k-kojima.srg2@tmd.ac.jp
authors.forename: Kazuyuki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kojima
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Mikito
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Inokuchi
authors.forename: Tatuyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kawano
authors.forename: Kenichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sugihara
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000601:surgery*; D000368:Aged; D001835:Body Weight; D002769:Cholelithiasis / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D004435:Eating; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005743:Gastrectomy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures; D011178:Postgastrectomy Syndromes / Q000517:prevention & control; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D014630:Vagus Nerve