A scoring system to predict surgical difficulty in minimally invasive surgery for gastric submucosal tumors.

Abstract Background Various minimally invasive surgery (MIS) procedures are used for gastric submucosal tumors (SMTs), and their technical difficulties vary. Preoperative understanding of difficulties is crucial; however, objective indicators are lacking. Methods Gastric SMTs requiring MIS (n = 36) were retrospectively analyzed. Preoperative factors were evaluated using a multivariate linear regression analysis. A scoring system was then constructed, and its feasibility was evaluated. Results Three factors were identified and scored based on the weighted contribution for predicting surgical time: tumor location (cardia, score of “2”; posterior wall of fundus, “1”); tumor size (greater than 4 cm, “1”); and tumor growth appearance (intraluminal, “1”). The summed scores could stratify the surgical time stepwise in each score, and patients who scored higher than 3 had larger intraoperative blood loss and a longer hospital stay. Conclusion Our scoring system predicted surgical difficulties and may, therefore, be useful in selecting appropriate surgical approaches for gastric SMTs.