Prevention of gastric stasis by omentum patching after living donor left hepatectomy

Among 137 living liver donors who underwent partial hepatectomy between August 1997 and November 2010, 58 donated the left lobe of their liver, with or without the caudate lobe. Gastric stasis developed after surgery in 4 (7 %) of these 58 donors (Fig. 1); possibly because of dislocation of the stomach after hepatectomy and adhesion between the stomach and the cut surface of the liver. This complication is specific to left hepatectomy [1] and although not life-threatening, it is symptomatic and requires endoscopic or surgical intervention. We describe our surgical technic designed to prevent this complication. Fig. 1 Gastric stasis after living donor left hepatectomy. Fluorescent imaging study shows an enlarged stomach with no passage of radiofluorescence through the pylorus.