Intraoperative conversion from laparoscopic gastrectomy to an open procedure: a decade of experience in a Japanese high-volume center.

Background: Although laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG) is a widely accepted treatment for gastric cancer, conversion to laparotomy is sometimes required. The current study aimed to review the time trends of intraoperative conversions to open procedures during the decade in which the LG procedure was being developed.
Methods: Cases in which LG was attempted at the Cancer Institute Hospital from 2005 to 2018 were retrospectively reviewed, and the details regarding conversions to open surgery were examined.
Results: Twenty-two (0.63%) of 3,498 patients required conversion to open surgery due to technical difficulties. The major reasons for conversions were difficulties in reconstruction (seven patients; 0.20%) and intraoperative bleeding (six patients; 0.17%). All conversions due to difficulties in reconstruction occurred in the introduction period of LG during the performance of esophagojejunostomy or esophagogastrostomy in laparoscopic total gastrectomy or proximal gastrectomy using a circular stapler. Five (71.4%) of the seven patients in whom conversion was performed due to difficulties in reconstruction developed postoperative severe complications. No conversions due to difficulties in reconstruction have been experienced since 2011, possibly due to the decrease in the number of laparoscopic total gastrectomy procedures and the introduction of the use of a linear stapler in esophagojejunostomy. To manage intraoperative bleeding in LG, hemostatic procedures were systematized and conversions were considered if visualization was not maintained following the procedures. None of the six patients who required laparotomy due to intraoperative bleeding required surgical or radiological intervention postoperatively.
Conclusion: Over a decade of experience and procedural changes have markedly decreased the incidence of conversion to open surgery in LG. The main causes of conversion during the early period of LG introduction were difficulties in reconstruction and intraoperative bleeding; the incidences of these complications have been decreased by employing the appropriate procedures for LG.