Fixation of the greater omentum for prevention of delayed gastric emptying after left-sided hepatectomy: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: We performed a randomized trial to evaluate whether fixation of the greater omentum to the peritoneum prevents delayed gastric emptying and other complications after left-sided hepatectomy.

METHODOLOGY

Patients undergoing left lateral segmentectomy or left hepatectomy were randomly assigned to a fixation group (n=24) and a non-fixation group (n=25). In the fixation group, the greater omentum was sutured to the peritoneum to prevent the stomach from contacting the cut surface of the liver.

RESULTS

Delayed gastric emptying developed in 4 of the patients in the non-fixation group (16%) versus none of the patients in the fixation group. According to univariate analysis, fixation significantly lowered the risk of delayed gastric emptying (p<0.05). The overall morbidity was higher in the non-fixation group (20.0%) than in the fixation patients (8.3%) without significance.

CONCLUSIONS

Fixation of the greater omentum to the peritoneum decreased the occurrence of delayed gastric emptying following left-sided hepatectomy.