Initial experience with laparoscopic gastrectomy in benign and malignant tumors]

From May 1993 to May 1998 at our hospital 12 classic gastric resections were operated on by laparoscopic procedure. A 2/3 distal Billroth resection was performed in 5 patients, for gastric ulcer (2) and for GIST (3). Other 7 patients were curatively operated on for a malignant disease. Any case was resected by oncosurgical gastrectomy including a D2-lymphadenectomy. The histological diagnoses were an adenocarcinoma in 6 cases, and one highly malignant maltoma. The mean operating time was 230 min in Billroth I resections and 295 min in total gastrectomies. As a complication, we saw postoperatively a duodenal leakage in one case, we could successfully manage also laparoscopically on the day after the operation. All the courses were extremely uncomplicated, connected with rapid mobility, early gut motility, little pain, and a comfortable cosmetic result. The resection result in any case of malignoma was R0, the mean lymphonode amount was 34. Tumour cell dissemination and trokar site metastases we could'nt note either. Oncosurgically, there are no disadvantages in comparison to the open approach.