Comparative study on three types of alimentary reconstruction after total gastrectomy

More than 70 alimentary reconstruction procedures after total gastrectomy have been proposed to reduce the postoperative syndromes such as dumping syndrome, reflux esophagitis, and malnutrition. However, the optimal alimentary reconstruction method is still a matter of debate. The aim of the current study was to investigate the rationality of different alimentary tract reconstruction methods after total gastrectomy for gastric malignancy.

Three types of digestive reconstruction methods were performed after total gastrectomy in 285 cases of gastric malignancy from May 1996 to December 2006, including Orr-type Roux-en-Y reconstruction (Orr-type), P-type Roux-en-Y reconstruction (P-type), and Moynihan-type reconstruction (Moynihan-type) methods. The operative time, early postoperative complications and mortality, food intake, alimentary symptoms, Visick scores, nutritional status at 1 and 3years after surgery, and cumulative survival at 1, 3, and 5years were comparatively analyzed.

There were no significant differences among the three methods in early postoperative complications and mortality, postoperative food intake and nutritional status (hemoglobin, total proteins and albumin), and incidence of diarrhea and dumping syndrome at 1 and 3years (p > 0.05). The overall 1-, 3-, and 5-year cumulative survival rate were 75.30%, 39.86%, and 21.48%, respectively, without significant differences among the three groups (p > 0.05). However, the average operative time used in the Orr-type reconstruction method (2.9 +/- 0.1h) was comparatively shorter than that used in the P-type (3.4 +/- 0.2h) and the Moynihan-type (3.2 +/- 0.1h). The incidences of reflux esophagitis after the gastric reconstruction with the Moynihan-type method at 1 and 3years (72% and 65%) were significantly higher than that with the Orr-type (3% and 0%) and P-type (5% and 0%; p < 0.01). Constituent ratio of Visick scores I-II of the Moynihan-type method at 1 and 3years (54% and 73%) were smaller than that of the Orr-type (94% and 96%) and the P-type (93% and 96%) methods (p < 0.01).

Orr-type Roux-en-Y reconstruction method can avoid reflux esophagitis, and the procedure is simpler than the other two methods. Therefore, Orr-type Roux-en-Y reconstruction can be recommended as an adoptable method of digestive reconstruction after total gastrectomy for gastric cancer.