Postoperative functional evaluation of gastrectomy for gastric cancer

To improve the quality of surgical procedures for gastric cancer, it is essential to consider many components comprehensively, including gastric motility, small intestinal absorption, hormones that affect gastric motility and appetite, presence or absence of vagus nerve preservation, esophageal regurgitation on endoscopic findings, in addition to whether or not there is a physiological route for food passage through the duodenum. Furthermore, proper functional evaluation cannot be performed without considering the form and amount of energy in the nutritional supplement to be loaded, and the posture at the time of investigation. The results of functional evaluation vary according to the method selected from many available options, but we believe that use of the most physiologically accurate, appropriate and selectable option will enable us to arrive at the best resection/reconstruction technique. We have reported that it is important to consider the preservation of three elements when performing gastrectomy: 1) reduction of the extent of gastrectomy, 2) preservation of the pylorus, and 3) preservation of the vagus nerve; among which preservation of the remnant stomach is the most important. Furthermore, the selection of a reconstruction method that maintains secretion of hormones beneficial to gastric motility preserves the energy balance inherent in the human body, and also provides better quality of life.