PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of the visceral fat area (VFA) of patients with gastric cancer undergoing laparoscopic surgery on operative outcomes such as number of retrieved lymph nodes (LNs) and operative time. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records and the CT scans of 597 patients with gastric cancer who underwent laparoscopy assisted distal gastrectomy (LADG) with partial omentectomy and LN dissection (>D1 plus beta). Patients were stratified by gender, VFA, and body mass index (BMI), and the clinicopathologic characteristics and operative outcomes were evaluated. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to assess the effects of VFA and BMI on the number of retrieved LNs and operative time in male and female patients. RESULTS: The mean number of retrieved LNs was significantly decreased for both male and female patients with high VFA. The operative time was significantly longer for both male and female patients with high VFA. The number of retrieved LNs had a statistically significant negative correlation with VFA in both men and women, but not with BMI. The operative time had a statistically significant positive correlation with VFA in men, whereas the operative time had a statistically significant positive correlation with BMI in women. CONCLUSION: The preoperative VFA of male patients with gastric cancer who undergo LADG may affect the number of retrieved LNs and operative time. VFA was more useful than BMI for predicting outcomes of LADG.
Body Mass Index ; Female ; Gastrectomy* ; Humans ; Intra-Abdominal Fat* ; Laparoscopy ; Linear Models ; Lymph Nodes ; Male ; Medical Records ; Obesity* ; Operative Time ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

BACKGROUND: It has been reported that spinal anesthesia has a sedative effect and so this decreases the hypnotic requirement of intravenous anesthetic. Therefore, we have conducted a prospective randomized study to investigate the effect of the spinal anesthesia level on the hypnotic requirements for conscious sedation. METHODS: Forty adult patients were scheduled to undergo spinal anesthesia, and they were randomly allocated to one of the two groups. After subarachnoid injection of 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine 16 mg, the patients in group 1 and group 2 were maintained in a reversed Trendelenburg position and a Trendelenburg position, respectively. After fifteen minutes, the target controlled infusion of propofol was started for achieving a target concentration of 1 microgram/ml, and the mean BIS for 1 min was checked after an effect site concentration (Ce) of 1 microgram/ml was reached. The target controlled infusion of propofol was restarted at a target concentration (Tc) of 1.5 microgram/ml, and the mean BIS for 1 min was checked after the Ce level of 1.5 microgram/ml was reached. RESULTS: The mean BIS at 1 microgram/ml Ce was 90.0 +/- 8.5 and 77.8 +/- 10.3 in group 1 and group 2, respectively. The mean BIS at 1.5 g/ml Ce was 73.6 +/- 19.4 and 60.0 +/- 13.1, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: There was a significant difference in the requirements of propofol for conscious sedation between the below T12 block group and the above T4 block group.
Adult ; Anesthesia, Spinal ; Bupivacaine ; Conscious Sedation ; Head-Down Tilt ; Humans ; Hypnosis ; Hypnotics and Sedatives ; Propofol* ; Prospective Studies