Abstract

Introduction: Gastric outlet obstruction (GOO) is a common complication in advanced stage upper gastrointestinal malignancies. The symptoms of severe nausea and protracted vomiting can lead to a decline in quality of life and cachexia. Symptoms of GOO can be effectively managed with either operative or nonoperative palliative interventions. In our article, we aim to compare laparoscopic gastrojejunostomy (GJ) to endoscopic stenting as palliative interventions for GOO. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated the charts of patients who underwent palliative procedure for gastric outlet obstruction. Group I included patients who underwent endoscopic stenting, and group II patients underwent Laparoscopic GJ. The groups’ demographics (age, gender), length of procedure, length of stay, days to oral intake, overall survival, complications rate, and 30-day mortality rates were compared. Results: Overall, 38 patients were included in the study. Nineteen patients underwent endoscopic stenting and 19 underwent laparoscopic GJ. Comparing the groups, no significant differences were noted. Surgical time was significantly longer than the endoscopic procedures (83 minutes versus 25 minutes, P = .001). No significant differences were noted in days of oral intake initiation, overall survival and 30-day mortality rates. Five patients in the stenting group had complications (26.3%) versus none in the surgical group (P = .046). No postoperative complications were noted. Conclusion: Laparoscopic GJ is a safe and feasible treatment for GOO, demonstrating early resumption of oral intake. The relative short hospital stay, combined with an encouraging postoperative complications profile and low reintervention rate, should be kept in mind especially among patients with longer life expectancy.

Keywords: gastric outlet obstruction; gastrojejunostomy; palliative surgery.