Risk factors for complications of therapeutic endoscopy for upper gastrointestinal subepithelial lesions

To study the risk factors for complications after endoscopic therapy for upper gastrointestinal subepithelial lesions (SELs).

Retrospective analysis was performed on 184 patients in the Department of Gastroenterology in the Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University after therapeutic endoscopy [endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), endoscopic full-thickness resection (EFR), endoscopic submucosal excavation (ESE), and submucosal tunneling endoscopic resection (STER)] for the upper gastrointestinal SELs from 2014-09-01 to 2019-09-30. The clinic data were collected and risk factors for postoperative complications were analyzed.

Among the 184 patients, 22 patients were in the complication group (including 3 cases of delayed bleeding, 2 cases of delayed perforation, and 17 cases of electrocoagulation syndrome) and 162 patients were in the non-complication group. There was no significant difference between the complication group and the non-complication group in gender, age over 70 year, basic diseases, lesion location, lesion invasion layers, pathological results, endoscopic therapy, and preventive closure of wounds (all P>0.05). The differences between the two groups in lesion diameter over 40 mm, operative time over 120 minutes, and rate of intraoperative perforation were significant (all P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that lesion diameter over 40 mm and operative time over 120 minutes were independent risk factors for postoperative complications.

For the patients with upper gastrointestinal SELs after endoscopic minimally invasive therapy with the lesion diameter over 40 mm and the operative time over 120 minutes, it needs to highly alert to the occurrence of postoperative complications.