The Impact of Visceral Fat Accumulation on Laparoscopy- Assisted Distal Gastrectomy for Early Gastric Cancer

Abstract Background: Laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy (LADG) has been widely accepted for the treatment for early gastric cancer. Obesity is a rapidly growing epidemic, and the number of obese patients with gastric cancer is increasing, but the impact of visceral fat (VF) accumulation on laparoscopic gastric surgery remains unknown. The aim of the present study was to determine the impact of VF accumulation on LADG. Materials and Methods: The medical charts of 30 patients who underwent LADG for early gastric cancer in our hospital between November 2000 and November 2006 were analyzed retrospectively. The patients were divided into two groups on the basis of VF accumulation measured on cross-sectional computed tomography at the level of the umbilicus. Twelve patients had high VF accumulation (≥100 cm2) and 18 had low VF accumulation (<100 cm2). Results: Although subcutaneous fat accumulation was not correlated with operation time or operative blood loss, VF accumulation was strongly, and significant...