Anastomotic complications after laparoscopic total gastrectomy with esophagojejunostomy constructed by circular stapler (OrVil) versus linear stapler (overlap method).

Background: Esophagojejunostomy after laparoscopic total gastrectomy (LTG) is the most technically difficult type of anastomosis; thus, anastomotic complications such as leakage and stenosis sometimes occur. Identification of the safest anastomotic procedure is important for successful LTG. We have performed LTG since 2004 either with a circular stapler using an OrVil anvil or via the overlap Orringer method with a linear stapler. This retrospective study aimed to determine which method results in a lower incidence of anastomotic complications in patients undergoing LTG.

Methods: Data on 188 consecutive patients who underwent LTG between April 2004 and August 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were divided into those who underwent esophagojejunostomy performed via a circular stapler using an OrVil anvil (group C, n = 49) or via the overlap method (group L, n = 139).

Results: Anastomotic complications occurred in five of 188 esophagojejunostomies (2.7%). They comprised three cases of leakage (1.6%), and two of stenosis (1.1%). There was no significant difference in patient characteristics or hematological variables between groups C and L. There was no significant difference between groups in operation time, blood loss, lymph node dissection, and intraoperative anastomotic problems. The rate of anastomotic complications was significantly lower in group L (0.7%, 1/139) than in group C (8.2%, 4/49; p = 0.005). In particular, anastomotic leakage in group L tended to be lower (0.7% 1/139) than in group C (4.1% 2/49), although this difference was not significant. The rate of anastomotic stenosis in group L was significantly lower (0%, 0/139) than in group C (4.1%, 2/49; p = 0.017). Furthermore multivariate analysis showed anastomotic procedure was an independent factor for anastomotic complication.

Conclusions: There were fewer anastomotic complications after overlap esophagojejunostomy than after esophagojejunostomy via the OrVil procedure, especially regarding anastomotic stenosis. We therefore recommend the overlap technique when performing esophagojejunostomy.