Laparoscopic robotic total gastrectomy

Abstract

Minimally invasive gastrectomy has become the standard of care in many centers in Asia but remains unpopular in Europe. The aim of this article is to present the technique of laparoscopic robot-assisted total gastrectomy. The presented case involved a 66-year-old female patient with an advanced gastric cancer on the lesser curvature of the stomach. The laparoscopic part of the procedure involved opening the lesser sac, mobilization of the greater curvature and transection of the duodenum. A robot was used for the D2 lymphadenectomy and creation of the anastomosis. In summary, we have found that during a total gastrectomy for advanced gastric cancer a successful oncological resection can be achieved using a minimally invasive approach. We have also found that by combining conventional laparoscopy with robotic assistance we could overcome the technical difficulties with regards to lymph node dissection and anastomosis.