PS01.190: FLEXIBLE GASTRIC TUBE: A NOBLE METHOD OF GASTRIC TUBE RECONSTRUCTION WITHOUT ANASTOMOTIC LEAKAGE

Abstract

Abstract Background Anastomotic leakage is one of the most frequent and severe morbidities after esophagectomy. For preventing anastomotic leakage, it is important to design a gastric tube with sufficient blood supply and to perform precise anastomosis at a well-conditioned site. We herein show our method of gastric tube reconstruction and evaluate the outcome. Methods Seven hundred and forty-six esophageal carcinoma patients who received subtotal esophagectomy with gastric tube reconstruction via the retrosternal route between 1994 and 2017 were enrolled in the present study. Although we previously used a greater curvature gastric tube with a 4 cm in diameter (narrow group), since 2000, a ‘flexible gastric tube,’ which was designed on an individual basis with the aim of preserving the vascular plexus in the center of the anterior and posterior stomach wall to the maximum possible extent in order to supply a sufficient amount of blood to the tip of the gastric tube was used (flexible group). Cervical esophagogastric end-to-side anastomosis using the circular stapler was performed during the whole period. The clinical outcomes were compared between the two groups. Results Anastomotic leakage was observed in 36 (4.8%) patients. While 24 of 155 (15.5%) patients showed anastomotic leakage in the narrow group, 12 of 591 (2.0%) patients showed anastomotic leakage in the flexible group and the clinical outcomes were significantly improved. Conclusion Our method of gastric tube reconstruction helped to improve the rate of anastomotic leakage after esophagectomy. At present, we are investigating the status of the blood flow using an ICG fluorescence method and by measuring the degree of oxygen saturation and hemoglobin using a new non-invasive monitoring tool during the operation. Postoperative assessments of the anastomotic site are performed using endoscopic examinations. We herein report the results of these assessments. Disclosure All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.