Objective: To evaluate laparoscopic surgery for gastric and small intestinal stromal tumors.
Methods: The clinical data of patients with laparoscopic resection of gastric and small intestinal tumors, admitted to our center from Dec. 2003 to Jul. 2006, were retrospectively analyzed. The data included the surgical procedure, operative time, blood loss, length of incision, time for passage of flatus, postoperative length of stay, operative complications, pathology and the results of follow-up.
Results: All the 33 patients with gastric and small intestinal stromal tumors were treated by laparoscopic procedures successfully, including 8 laparoscopic gastric wedge resections, 8 laparoscopic transgastric tumor-everting resections, and 17 laparoscopic segmental resections of small intestine. The mean operative time was (73.1+/-27.0) min, the mean blood loss was (19.8+/-14.0) ml, the mean length of incision was (3.3+/-1.1) cm, the mean time for passage of flatus was (2.2+/-1.0) d and the postoperative length of stay was (8.1+/-2.0) d. The bleeding of intestinal anastomosis and gastric mucosa occurred on 3 patients (9.1%), who were healed with conservative therapy. No recurrence was found during 2-33 months follow-up.
Conclusion: Laparoscopic surgery is an effective, safe, less invasive procedure for treatment of gastric and small intestinal stromal tumors.