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Updated: Mar 29, 2026
Laparoscopic Repair of Para-Esophageal Hernia Using Absorbable Biosynthetic Mesh
Published on: September 11, 2021
Internal hernia after laparoscopic gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y reconstruction for gastric cancer
Hideyo Kimura1, Mikimasa Ishikawa2, Toshinaga Nabae2
1Department of Surgery and Oncology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan; Department of Surgery, Japan Community Health care Organization, Kyushu Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan.
Background/Objective:
Laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG) is increasingly used to treat gastric cancer. Simultaneously, internal hernia (IH) has been reported after LG with Roux-en-Y reconstruction (RY). The aim of this study was to investigate IH after LG with RY for gastric cancer.
Methods:
This study included 15 patients with IH from a database of 355 consecutive patients who underwent LG with RY for gastric cancers. We retrospectively analyzed IH incidence and clinical characteristics by operative procedures.
Results:
The total incidence of IH was 4.2%. The incidence of IH at Petersen's defect tended to decrease with modifications to the reconstruction methods, but not significantly so. The incidence of IH at jejunojejunostomy mesenteric defect significantly decreased with closure of this defect (p = 0.01). The incidence of IH at transverse mesocolic defect was 1.3% in patients who underwent retrocolic RY; emergent small-bowel resection was only required in two cases of herniation through this defect after laparoscopic total gastrectomy.
Conclusion:
Retrocolic RY with appropriate closure of defects can reduce IH incidence at Petersen's defect and at jejunojejunostomy mesenteric defect. Although the IH incidence at the transverse mesocolic defect is not particularly high, the possibility of herniation through this defect should be kept in mind.
