Laparoscopic enucleation or wedge resection of benign gastric pathology: analysis of 44 consecutive cases

Laparoscopic resection of gastric submucosal tumors has been described, but the role of laparoscopy for tumors within the esophagus or near the gastroesophageal junction is not clearly defined. The aim of this study was to examine the outcomes of laparoscopic or thoracoscopic enucleation or wedge resection of benign gastric tumors. The charts of 44 patients who underwent minimally invasive resection of benign esophagogastric tumors were reviewed. Surgical approaches included thoracoscopic enucleation (n = 2), laparoscopic enucleation (n = 6), transgastric enucleation (n = 2), and laparoscopic gastric wedge resection (n = 34). There were 23 males with a mean age of 57 years. There was one conversion (2.5%) to laparotomy. Mean operative time was 97 ± 52 minutes. The mean length of hospital stay was 2.6 ± 2.0 days. One patient developed gastric outlet obstruction requiring Roux-en-Y reconstruction. There were no leaks and the 90-day mortality was zero. Pathology demonstrated gastrointestinal stromal tumor (n = 31), leiomyoma (n = 6), and other benign pathology (n = 7). There has been one tumor recurrence at a mean follow-up of 4.3 years. The laparoscopic approaches to local resection of gastric tumors are safe and feasible. The type of minimally invasive surgical approaches should be tailored based on the location and size of the lesion.