Techniques and Clinical Outcome of the Laparoscopic Surgery for Gastric Submucosal Tumor

Kenji Yasuda, Akiko Umezawa, Hiromi Tokumura, Youichi Imaoka, Akio Ouchi, Kyoji Yamamoto and Takashi Matsushiro

Department of Surgery, Tohoku Rosai Hospital

We reported techniques and clinical outcomes of the 9 cases of laparoscopic surgery for gastric submucosal tumor (SMT). Of the 9 patients, 4 were male and 5 were female, and their ages ranged from 46 to 79 years old. The growth pattern and location were as follows: five endogastric type, three exogastric type and one endo-and exogastric type. The size of the tumors ranged from 22 to 40 mm in diameter. Seven patients underwent laparoscopic wedge resection of the stomach and the remaining 2 underwent laparoscopic intragastric surgery. The mean operating time was about 103 minutes. Mean postoperative hospitalization was 10 days. There was no complications. Final diagnosis of these tumors was leiomyosarcoma in 8 cases and schwannoma in 1 case, respectively. Generally, leiomyosarcoma is the most common malignant gastric SMT, and negligible incidence of lymphnode metastasis makes local resection of the stomach acceptable and feasible. We conclude that the laparoscopic surgery for gastric SMT is beneficial because of low grade operative insult and cosmetic merit when it is carried out according to certain criteria, such as the size, the location, and growing pattern of tumors.

Key words
gastric submucosal tumor, laparoscopic gastric surgery, leiomyosarcoma of the stomach

Reprint requests
Akiko Umezawa Department of Surgery, Tohoku Rosai Hospital 4-3-21 Dainohara, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 981-8563 JAPAN

Accepted
April 28, 1999

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