Clinical assessments in patients ten years after pylorus-preserving gastrectomy with or without preserving both pyloric and hepatic branches of the vagal nerve for early gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To clarify the differences in the postoperative quality of life (QOL) of patients after pylorus preserving gastrectomy (PPG) between those with preserved pyloric and hepatic branches of the vagal nerve (PHV) and those without PHV, we investigated the postoperative gastrointestinal symptoms at 10 years after PPG patients with or without PHV.

METHODS

Twenty eight subjects who underwent PPG with D2 lymphadenectomy without preserving the PHV (group A: 18 male and 10 female subjects aged 38 to 70 years with a mean age of 60.2 years) were interviewed to inquire about gastrointestinal symptoms (appetite, weight loss, epigastric fullness, reflux esophagitis, and early dumping syndrome), and compared with 30 PPG patients with D1 lymphadenectomy with preserving PHV (group B: 20 male and 10 female subjects aged 33 to 72 years with a mean age of 61.3 years). Esophagogastric endoscopy and abdominal ultrasonography were also studied.

RESULTS

There were no differences in the postoperative gastrointestinal symptoms, endoscopic reflux esophagitis, and endoscopic gastritis between groups A and B. However, cholecystolithiasis was significantly found in group A but was not found in group B. In addition, there was significant difference between groups A and B (p = 0.0074).

CONCLUSIONS

It is important to preserve the PHV to prevent cholecystolithiasis formation in patients after PPG.