Postoperative evaluation of pylorus-preserving gastrectomy for early gastric cancer.

Physical results after pylorus-preserving gastrectomy (PPG) with preservation of the vagus nerve were evaluated. The status of 15 patients with early gastric cancer after PPG was compared with that of 14 patients after distal gastrectomy (DG). The postoperative/preoperative body-weight ratio of the PPG group (0.99) was significantly greater than that of the DG group (0.92). Patients who had PPG had fewer postoperative abdominal symptoms than those who underwent DG. The gastric emptying pattern of patients who had a pylorus-preserving procedure was slower than that of those who had conventional gastrectomy, and more similar to the preoperative pattern. Contraction of the gallbladder after PPG was better than after DG. Gastroscopy revealed that the mucosa of the stomach remnant after PPG was less abnormal than after DG. In conclusion, PPG is a more physiological operation than conventional DG and should be applied in carefully selected cases of early gastric cancer.