Transumbilical Endoscopic Resection of Intra-abdominal Mesenchymal Tumor

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) typically occur in the stomach and proximal small intestine but can also be found in any other part of the digestive tract, including the abdominal cavity, albeit rarely. In the present case, the tumor was resected endoscopically through the anterior gastric wall. Computed tomography (CT) scan and gastroscopy of a 60-year-old woman revealed submucosal lesions in the gastric body. The possibility of a stromal tumor was considered more likely. The endoscopic surgery was performed under endotracheal anesthesia. After a solution had been injected at the lesion site in the stomach, the entire gastric wall was dissected to expose the tumor. As the lesion was in the abdominal cavity and its base was attached to the abdominal wall, it was accessed using a sterilized PCF colonoscope. A sodium chloride injection was administered at the base. The tumor was then peeled along its boundaries using the hooking and excision knife combined with the precutting knife. Subsequently, the tumor was pulled into the stomach through the incision made in the stomach and then extracted externally through the upper digestive tract using the ERCP spiral mesh basket. After confirming the absence of bleeding at the incision site, the endoscope was returned to the stomach, and the stomach opening was closed using purse-string sutures. The patient recovered satisfactorily following the surgery and was discharged on day 4. Histological examination revealed a low-risk stromal tumor (spindle cell type, <5 mitosis/50 high-power fields [HPF]). Immunohistochemistry revealed positive staining for CD34 and CD117, negative staining for SMA, positive staining for DOG1, and negative staining for S100. Additionally, the expression of ki67 was 3%.