title: The application of ultrasonic harmonic scalpel in the radical surgery of gastric cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Ultrasonic harmonic scalpel has been widely applied to laparoscopic surgery of gastric cancer, but it has not been evaluated properly in open surgery. The objective of this study was to evaluate the value of the ultrasonic harmonic scalpel in the open radical surgery of gastric cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  106 gastric cancer patients who had accepted distal D2 lymphadenectomy were included in this study. Patients were divided into ultrasonic harmonic scalpel (UHS) surgery group (50 cases) and conventional electric scalpel surgery group (56 cases). UHS surgery group patients were accepted surgery by ultrasonic harmonic scalpel. Instead, conventional electric scalpel surgery group patients were accepted surgery by monopolar electrocautery shovel and other traditional instruments. Then the average operation time, intra-operative blood loss, number of harvested lymph nodes, average post operative drainage within 3 days, and postoperative hospital stay were collected and compared between the two groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average operation time, blood loss, postoperative hospital stay in UHS group were significantly lower than traditional group (P < 0.05). The number of lymph node dissection was significantly higher than conventional surgery group (P < 0.05). There were no difference between two groups in average drainage within 3 days after surgery and the hospitalization costs (P > 0.05). In the presence of atherosclerotic patients, the average operation time, blood loss in UHS surgery group were significantly lower than the traditional group (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ultrasonic harmonic scalpel may have better effect in the radical surgery of gastric cancer patients. It meets the requirements of the future development of precise surgical procedure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, China, huangyuan_09@163.com.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: G C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Mu
authors.forename: X G
authors.initials: XG
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Z B
authors.initials: ZB
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Y J
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Zeng
mesh_terms: D016063:Blood Loss, Surgical / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008197:Lymph Node Excision / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011379:Prognosis; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D059708:Ultrasonic Surgical Procedures / Q000295:instrumentation*