Pouch and Roux-en-Y reconstruction after gastrectomy.

We evaluated a reconstruction procedure of the upper gastrointestinal tract after total gastrectomy with the exclusive use of the EEA, GIA, and TA surgical stapling devices (United States Surgical Corp, Norwalk, Conn). Twenty patients with gastric carcinoma entered the study. A total gastrectomy and lymphadenectomy was performed in each patient and the upper gastrointestinal tract was reconstructed by the Roux-en-Y technique with the creation of a Hunt-Lawrence-Rodino pouch. For all operational steps, surgical staplers were used exclusively, as follows: (1) duodenal closure, GIA or TA; (2) Roux-en-Y anastomosis, EEA 25; (3) pouch construction, GIA (three to four times); (4) esophagojejunostomy, EEA 25; and (5) pouch closure, TA 55 or 90. There was a one-hour difference in operating time between patients operated on exclusively by the staple technique and TNM-matched patients operated on manually. Four patients suffered from general complications. Two patients had clinically relevant suture deficiencies. We concluded that current reconstruction methods after gastrectomy that fulfill the reservoir function (pouch) and reflux prevention (Roux-en-Y reconstruction) can be achieved by the combination and systematic use of straight and circular staplers. The advantages are intraoperative time saving and a relaxation of limitations imposed on an abdominal intervention by age and localization of the tumor.