Laparoscopic Surgery in the Management of Hypersplenism and Esophagogastric Varices: Our Initial Experiences

Background. Owing to recent advances in laparoscopic surgery, devascularization of the upper stomach with splenectomy (Spx) or Hassab’s procedure (Has) as well as Spx for patients with portal hypertension have been attempted laparoscopically in some facilities, the results of which have been reported. This article describes the authors’ surgical techniques and their results. Methods. Between August 1999 and August 2010, the authors treated 110 cases of portal hypertension with Spx or Has. Among these patients, 56 who simultaneously underwent additional major operations were eliminated from the study, leaving 54 patients eligible. They included 38 with open surgeries and 16 with laparoscopic surgeries, which consisted of 10 splenectomies and 6 Has operations. The perioperative data for the 2 groups were compared. Results. Purely laparoscopic Spx (L-Spx) was completed for 9 patients. Conversion from laparoscopic to hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery (HALS) was necessary for 1 patient because of poor visualization. Operative time was significantly longer in L-Spx than in the open method. Postoperative hospital stays were shorter for L-Spx. HALS was used for all 6 laparoscopic Has patients. There was no conversion from the laparoscopic to the open method. Operative time was significantly longer for laparoscopic Has than for open Has. Postoperative complication rates were significantly reduced, and postoperative hospital stays were significantly shorter for laparoscopic Has. Conclusions. Although the data are still preliminary, laparoscopic surgery for patients with portal hypertension may prove to be a successful strategy.