Laparoscopic Intra-Gastric Surgery for Early Gastric Cancer -Its Procedure, Indications and Clinical Results-

Shuichi Ohashi, Eiji Taniguchi, Shuuji Takiguchi, Takeshi Oriyama*, Hiroki Kanno*

Department of Endoscopic Surgery, Osaka University Medical School
*Department of Surgery, Takarazuka City Hospital

In the four years from 1993, we have performed our original laparoscopic operation, namely, laparoscopic intra-gastric surgery (L.I.G.S.) on patients with early gastric cancer. The indications for L.I.G.S. have been generally limited to the early gastric cancer. Twenty-one patients with early gastric cancer, 15 with carcinoma limited in the mucosal layer (m-cancer) and six with carcinoma invaded to the submucosal layer (sm-cancer), were operated on by L.I.G.S. in this series. Two patients were converted to mini-open surgery because of the intra-operative complications, such as bleeding or minor perforation. No major postoperative complications were encountered in this series. In all 15 patients with m-cancer, no recurrence was observed. However, mucosal recurrence was found in two out of the six patients with sm-cancer, which has so far been well controlled by gastrofiberscopic laser and/or electrocautery. Therefore, the indications for this technique for the early gastric cancer might be extended to the patients with m-cancer of any age. We believe that L.I.G.S. will play an important role in the treatment of early gastric cancer which cannot be technically removed by endoscopic mucosal resection.

Key words
laparoscopic intra-gastric surgery, endo-luminal surgery, early gastric cancer

Reprint requests
Shuichi Ohashi Department of Endoscopic Surgery, Osaka University Medical School
2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, 565-0871 JAPAN

Accepted
December 3, 1997

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