Selection and technical points of digestive tract reconstruction after total laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer

Abstract

Gastric cancer is the second most common malignancy in China. In recent years, with the development of laparoscopic technology and improved skills of gastrointestinal surgeons, total laparoscopic radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer has been developed rapidly. The digestive tract reconstruction is the key procedure and one of the difficulties of total laparoscopic radical gastrectomy. Each method of digestive tract reconstruction has its own characteristic, however, there has not yet reached a unified consensus until today. In this article, the advantages and disadvantages of these reconstruction methods and technical points were reviewed based on relative literatures and our application experiences. Key words: Gastric neoplasms; Gastrectomy; Laparoscopy; Digestive tract reconstruction