title: [Influence of obesity on short-term surgical outcome in patients with gastric cancer].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the influence of obesity on surgical procedure and short-term surgical outcome in patients with gastric carcinoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 426 patients with gastric carcinoma underwent laparotomy in our hospital during January 2006 and June 2008. All the patients were divided into obesity group and non-obesity group according to body mass index (BMI). The thickness of subcutaneous fat (SCF), abdominal anterior-posterior diameter (APD) and transverse diameter (TD) at the umbilicus level were measured by abdominal CT. Furthermore, the surgical data and postoperative conditions including short-term outcome were reviewed and compared between two groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The incidence of obesity was 29.8% in gastric carcinoma patients. Mean values of SCF thickness, APD and TD in obesity group and non-obesity group were (21.8+/-7.1) mm vs (14.4+/-7.5) mm, (223.2+/-24.6) mm vs (181.8+/-23.5) mm and (323.6+/-23.8) mm vs (285.8+/-24.4) mm (P=0.000). Longer operative time (P=0.007) and less amount of dissected lymph nodes were found in obesity group as compared to non-obesity group (P=0.000). Also, obesity group lasted a longer postoperative period of fever (P=0.000) and experienced more post-operative complications (P=0.005) than non-obesity group did.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Abdominal CT scan may display the abdominal shape of gastric carcinoma patients, hence, it is useful to evaluate the difficulty of surgical procedure. These patients may involve in complicated surgical procedure and worse short-term outcome due to obese abdominal shape. Therefore, perioperative management should be emphasized for these patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University Medical College, Qingdao, China. worldwidth@yahoo.com.cn
authors.forename: Shi-kuan
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yan-bing
authors.initials: YB
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Cheng-fu
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Pei-ge
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Hai-bo
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Wei-zheng
authors.initials: WZ
authors.lastname: Mao
authors.forename: Zhen-guang
authors.initials: ZG
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000005:Abdomen / Q000601:surgery; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D015391:Gastroplasty; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome