STOMACH SURGERY

Robotic Total Gastrectomy

Total gastrectomy is the complete removal of the stomach and establishment of a Roux-en-Y esophagojejunostomy (a Y-shaped reconstruction with an anastomosis between the esophagus and the jejunum and an enteroenterostomy 40-50cm. below). Total gastrectomy is done with curative intent (sometimes as a palliative procedure) to remove big tumors or malignant lesions that are localized in the upper third of the stomach.

The traditional open procedure is performed through a long midline incision in the abdomen. Many prospective trials demonstrated that completely minimally invasive total and partial gastric resections for benign and malignant pathology had good results and were proven to be feasible and safe procedures. In general, the main advantages of the minimally invasive approach in these procedures are low invasiveness and improved quality of life: less intraoperative bleeding, better immunological response, less postoperative pain, a more rapid recovery, early return of bowel function and oral food intake, and shorter hospital stay. Certainly minimally invasive gastrectomy can only be accepted as an
effective alternative to open surgery if it achieves the same degree of oncologic effectiveness with a similar or improved rate of postoperative complications.