Background: Duodenal stump fistula represents an infrequent but serious complication after laparoscopic radical gastrectomy with Billroth II or Roux-en-Y reconstruction for gastric cancer. The present study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of laparoscopic double half purse-string sutures plus "8" pattern of stitching for reinforcement of duodenal stump. Methods: The data of patients undergoing laparoscopic radical gastrectomy with Billroth II or Roux-en-Y reconstruction were retrospectively analyzed between August 2022 and June 2023. According to the different reinforcement methods of duodenal stump, included patients were subdivided into three groups as follows: Group A, duodenal stump was treated with double half purse-string sutures plus "8" pattern of stitching; Group B, duodenal stump was reinforced by continuous suture using a barbed suture; and Group C, duodenal stump without any additional processing. The incidences of duodenal stump fistula between three groups were documented and compared. Moreover, the independent risk factors associated with duodenal stump fistula were analyzed using the logistic regression analysis. Results: No postoperative duodenal stump fistula occurred in Group A, which was significantly different from Group B and Group C (P = .007). In the multivariate analysis, age (odds ratio [OR], 1.191; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.088-1.303), body mass index (OR, 0.824; 95% CI, 0.727-0.935), and American Society of Anesthesiologists score (OR, 4.495; 95% CI, 1.264-15.992) were the risk factors for duodenal stump fistula. Conclusion: Double half purse-string sutures plus "8" pattern of suture can be conducted in a relatively short operation period and could prevent the incidence of duodenal stump fistula to some extent.
Keywords: duodenal stump fistula; gastric cancer; laparoscopic radical gastrectomy; reinforcement.