Stomach-partitioning gastrojejunostomy for gastroduodenal outlet obstruction

The outcome of the stomach-partitioning gastrojejunostomy (SPGJ) procedure is superior to that of stenting procedures.

Data from patients who underwent an SPGJ were collected retrospectively from hospital medical records (body weight, hemoglobin and albumin levels, assessment of food intake, duration of hospitalization, complications, and survival rates), and we compared the results with those obtained from patients treated with stenting.

Departments of Gastrointestinal Surgery and Gastroenterology, Tokyo University Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.

A series of 16 consecutive patients with gastroduodenal outlet obstruction who underwent an SPGJ and 9 patients who were treated with stenting between January 5, 1998, and August 18, 2004.

Mann-Whitney, Fisher exact, and generalized Wilcoxon tests were used for statistical analyses.

There were no differences between the 2 groups concerning background data, physiological status, or laboratory data. The starting point of food intake by patients treated with stenting was significantly earlier (at 4.2 days in the stent group vs at 6.0 days in the SPGJ group, P < .004). The numbers of patients taking a regular meal at 2 weeks after treatment were 12 of 16 patients in the SPGJ group and 1 of 9 patients in the stent group (P < .001). There was no significant difference between the 2 groups regarding the duration of hospitalization. The complication rates were significantly different between the 2 groups (P = .48). The median survival was 7.3 months in the SPGJ group and 2.8 months in the stent group (P = .008), and the mean 6-month survival rates were 81% (13 of 16) and 33% (3 of 9), respectively (P < .04).

Stomach-partitioning gastrojejunostomy achieved improved quality of life and a better prognosis compared with stenting procedures, and it is the treatment of choice for gastroduodenal outlet obstruction.