Clinical study of Roux stasis syndrome after distal gastrectomy

Introduction : Roux-en-Y anastomosis is becoming common after distal gastrectomy, but Roux stasis syndrome (RSS) has adversely affected its dissemination. We examined the incidence of RSS. Method : Subjects were 109 patients with gastric cancer who underwent Roux-en-Y anastomosis after distal gastrectomy from 1995 to 2004. Result : RSS occurred in 13 patients (11.9%). The incidence of RSS differed between end-to-side and end-to-end anastomoses. 7 cases out of 37 (18.9%) for end-to-side, and 6 of 72 (8.3%) for end-to-end. The significance was not calculated (p = 0.1257), but the incidence of sever RSS was higher in end-to-side than end-to-end. So end-to-end anastomosis tended to be more advantageous. As the degree of dissection rose, so did the incidence of RSS. No correlation was seen between RSS and factors such as blood loss, preserving autonomic nerves, or operation duration. Consideration : We thought that the cause of RSS is dysfunctional passage. We concluded that end-to-end anastomosis tends to be more advantageous than its end-to-side counterpart.