Pylorus-Preserving Gastrectomy for Early Gastric Cancer

Shin, Yeon Myung; Choi, Kyung Hyun; Lee, Sung Do

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The physical results after a pylorus-preserving gastrectomy (PPG) for early gastric cancer were evluated.
METHODS
From August 1996 to March 1998, sixteen (16) patients underwent a PPG, and 17 patients underwent a conventional distal gastrectomy with Billroth I anastomosis (DG). The patients undergoing the PPG and theDG procedures were assessed for 1 year following their surgical procedure. Changes in body weight, food intake volume, and abdominal symptoms, which were determined from questionaires, gastric-emptying tests using the acetaminophen method, and gastroscopic findings, were compared between the two groups.
RESULTS
There were no significant differences in the body weight ratio and the amount of food taken in a meal between the two groups. Patients who had a PPG had fewer postoperative abdominal symptoms than those who underwent a DG. After a DG, emptying was much more rapid. Gastroscopy revealed that the mucosa of the stomach remnant after a PPG was less abnormal than it was after a DG, but food stasis was more frequent after a PPG.
CONCLUSION
A PPG is a more physiological operation than a conventional DG and should be used in carefully selected patient with early gastric cancer to improve their quality of life.