PURPOSE: Although linear-shaped gastroduodenostomy (LSGD) was reported to be a feasible and reliable method of Billroth I anastomosis in patients undergoing totally laparoscopic distal gastrectomy (TLDG), the feasibility of LSGD for patients undergoing totally robotic distal gastrectomy (TRDG) has not been determined. This study compared the feasibility of LSGD in patients undergoing TRDG and TLDG.MATERIALS AND METHODS: ALL C: onsecutive patients who underwent LSGD after distal gastrectomy for gastric cancer between January 2009 and December 2017 were analyzed retrospectively. Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was performed to reduce the selection bias between TRDG and TLDG. Short-term outcomes, functional outcomes, learning curve, and risk factors for postoperative complications were analyzed.RESULTS: This analysis included 414 patients, of whom 275 underwent laparoscopy and 139 underwent robotic surgery. PSM analysis showed that operation time was significantly longer (163.5 vs. 132.1 minutes, P<0.001) and postoperative hospital stay significantly shorter (6.2 vs. 7.5 days, P<0.003) in patients who underwent TRDG than in patients who underwent TLDG. Operation time was the independent risk factor for LSGD after intracorporeal gastroduodenostomy. Cumulative sum analysis showed no definitive turning point in the TRDG learning curve. Long-term endoscopic findings revealed similar results in the two groups, but bile reflux at 5 years showed significantly better improvement in the TLDG group than in the TRDG group (P=0.016).CONCLUSIONS: LSGD is feasible in TRDG, with short-term and long-term outcomes comparable to that in TLDG. LSGD may be a good option for intracorporeal Billroth I anastomosis in patients undergoing TRDG.
Bile Reflux ; Gastrectomy ; Gastroenterostomy ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; Learning Curve ; Length of Stay ; Methods ; Postoperative Complications ; Propensity Score ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Robotic Surgical Procedures ; Selection Bias ; Stomach Neoplasms

Background: Herein, we aimed to evaluate the maternal mortality ratio and perinatal mortality rate for different perinatal medical care service areas (PMCSAs), which were established by considering their geographical accessibility to maternal-fetal intensive care units (MFICUs) and neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), and to compare the PMCSAs according to their accessibility to these perinatal care services. Methods: Based on the 70 hospital service areas (HSAs) across the country confirmed through the Dartmouth Atlas methodology analysis and gathering of expert opinions, the PMCSAs were designated by merging HSAs without MFICUs and NICUs to the nearest HSA that contained MFICUs and NICUs, based on which MFICU and NICU could be reached within the shortest amount of time from population-weighted centroids in HSAs. PMCSAs where 30% or more of the population could not access MFICUs and NICUs within 60 minutes were identified using the service module ArcGIS and were defined as having access vulnerability. Results: Thirty-three of 70 HSAs in the country did not contain MFICUs and NICUs, and 39 PMCSAs were finally derived by merging 70 HSAs. Ten of 39 PMCSAs (25.6%) were classified as having access vulnerability to MFICUs and NICUs. The national maternal mortality ratio was 9.42, with the highest ratio seen in the region of Wonju (25.86) and the lowest in Goyang (2.79). The national perinatal mortality rate was 2.86, with the highest and lowest rates observed in the Gunsan (4.04) and Sejong (1.99) regions, respectively. The perinatal mortality rates for areas vulnerable and invulnerable to maternal and neonatal healthcare accessibility were 2.97 and 2.92, respectively, but there was no statistically significant difference in this rate (P = 0.789). The maternal mortality ratio for areas vulnerable and invulnerable to maternal and neonatal healthcare accessibility were 14.28 and 9.48, respectively; this ratio was significantly higher in areas vulnerable to accessibility (P = 0.022). Conclusion Of the PMCSAs across the country, 25.6% (10/39) were deemed to be vulnerable to MFICU and NICU accessibility. There was no difference in the perinatal mortality rate between the vulnerable and invulnerable areas, but the maternal mortality ratio in vulnerable areas was significantly higher than that in invulnerable areas.

Purpose: This study aimed to analyze the rate of delivery within the jurisdiction of local governments in Korea. Methods: Information regarding the population, number of women of childbearing age, and number of births was extracted from the Korean Statistics Information Service, National Health Insurance Service, and health map of the National Medical Center. We defined the rate of delivery within the jurisdiction of the local government as the ratio of the number of deliveries delivered by maternity facilities in the region to the total number of deliveries of pregnant women living in the region. Results: The average nationwide delivery rate in the jurisdiction of local governments was 48.0%. The Si area was the highest at 54.9%, and the Gun area was the lowest at 22.1%. Compared to 2014, the national average delivery rate in the jurisdiction decreased by 4.3%; however, the gun area increased by 4.9%. The geographic maternity service area was 122 in 2014; however, this number decreased to 104 in 2020. Conclusion The national average rate of delivery in the jurisdiction of local governments was 48.0%, and the rate decreased between 2014 and 2020.

PURPOSE: Although Roux-en-Y (R-Y) reconstruction after distal gastrectomy has several advantages, such as prevention of bile reflux into the remnant stomach, it is rarely used because of the technical difficulty. This prospective randomized clinical trial aimed to show the efficacy of a novel method of R-Y reconstruction involving the use of 2 circular staplers by comparing this novel method to Billroth-I (B-I) reconstruction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 118 patients were randomly allocated into the R-Y (59 patients) and B-I reconstruction (59 patients) groups. R-Y anastomosis was performed using two circular staplers and no hand sewing. The primary end-point of this clinical trial was the reflux of bile into the remnant stomach evaluated using endoscopic and histological findings at 6 months after surgery. RESULTS: No significant differences in clinicopathological findings were observed between the 2 groups. Although anastomosis time was significantly longer for the patients of the R-Y group (P<0.001), no difference was detected between the 2 groups in terms of the total surgery duration (P=0.112). Endoscopic findings showed a significant reduction of bile reflux in the remnant stomach in the R-Y group (P<0.001), and the histological findings showed that reflux gastritis was more significant in the B-I group than in the R-Y group (P=0.026). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this randomized controlled clinical trial showed that compared with B-I reconstruction, R-Y reconstruction using circular staplers is a safe and feasible procedure. This clinical trial study was registered at www.ClinicalTrials.gov (registration No. NCT01142271).
Bile ; Bile Reflux ; Gastrectomy* ; Gastric Stump ; Gastritis ; Hand ; Humans ; Methods ; Prospective Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms*