A Modified Billroth-II with Braun Anastomosis in Totally Laparoscopic Distal Gastrectomy: Initial Experience Compared with Roux-en-Y Anastomosis

This retrospective study aimed to compare the feasibility and effectiveness of a modified Billroth-II with Braun (B-II Braun) reconstruction and those of a Roux-en-Y (R-Y) reconstruction after laparoscopic distal gastrectomy.

From January 2016 to December 2019, 247 patients underwent total laparoscopic distal gastrectomy (TLDG), with B-II Braun reconstruction for 145 patients and R-Y reconstruction for 102 patients. The patients’ data were collected prospectively and reviewed retrospectively.

In this study, the median times of the operation were statistically shorter for B-II Braun than for R-Y (167 min [range, 110–331 min] vs 191 min [range, 123–384 min]; p = 0.001), including anastomotic times (33 min [range, 30–42 min] vs 42 min [range, 40–48 min]; p = 0.001). After a short-term follow-up period, endoscopy showed 31 cases of bile reflux (21.4%), 15 cases of grade 2 gastritis (10.3%), and 6 cases of grade 2 food residue (4.1%) in the B-II Braun group after 6 months. After 1 year, 10 patients (6.9%) had grade 2 gastritis and 2 patients (1.4%) had grade 3 gastritis. However, the remnant stomach of the two groups did not differ significantly in the rate of gastric residue (p = 0.112 after 6 months; p = 0.579 after 1 year, respectively), gastritis (p = 0.726 after 6 months; p = 0.261 after 1 year, respectively), or bile reflux (p = 0.262 after 6 months; p = 0.349 after 1 year, respectively).

For gastric cancer patients, TLDG with modified B-II Braun reconstruction could be technically feasible. It has an acceptable range of postoperative complications and is effective in preventing bile reflux into the gastric remnant.