[Routes of lymph outflow from the operated stomach]

The pathways of lymph discharge from the stomach at different stages after resection and gastroenterostomy were studied by filling the lymphatics with 50% Indian ink. The study used 55 noninbred dogs and 12 preparations of human resected material obtained in repeated surgery. It was found that lymph is discharged through intact lymphatic via within 40 days after subtotal resection and 10 weeks after partial resection and gastroenterostomy. At later stages lymph is discharged via newly developed vessels which extend from the stomach across anastomosis axis onto intestinal wall and further on to the lymph nodes of its mesentery. At month 3 after subtotal resection and month 5 after partial resection and gastroenterostomy, the lumen diameter of such lymphatics matched that of intact lymphatics of the stomach. Postoperative formation of lymph discharge via suggests that cancer may be directly disseminated from the operated stomach into the mesenteric lymph nodes.