Types and implications of abdominal fluid collections following gastric cancer surgery

Abstract

Background: Little data are available for abscess and non-abscess abdominal fluid collections (AFCs) after gastric cancer surgery and their clinical implications. We sought to analyse the natural history of such collections in a population of patients subject to routine postoperative imaging.

Methods: From 1996 to 2012, 1381 patients underwent gastric resections and routine postoperative monitoring with abdominal ultrasound. As a unit protocol, examinations were carried out in all patients prior to drain removal, immediately before discharge, and at follow-up visits.

Results: AFCs were diagnosed in 134 (9.7%) patients after a median time from surgery of seven days (interquartile range (IQR) 5–11 days). Sixty-four of the 134 AFCs (48%) were asymptomatic and resolved spontaneously after a median follow-up of 26.5 days (IQR 14–91 days). Seventy (52%) AFCs required interventional drainage. A stepwise logistic regression model demonstrated that interventional treatment was much more likely among patients with enteric fistula (odds ratio (OR) 9.542, 95% CI 1.418–46.224, p=.003) and pancreatic fistula (OR 7.157, 95% CI 1.340–39.992, p=.012).

Conclusions: About one half of AFCs after gastric surgery were asymptomatic and eventually resolved spontaneously without any intervention. However, the need for interventional drainage was significantly increased by coexisting pancreatic or enteric fistula.

Keywords:

• Gastric cancer
• gastrectomy
• complications
• abdominal fluid collections
• abdominal abscess

Acknowledgements

Human rights statement and informed consent: All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1964 and later versions. Informed consent or substitute for it was obtained from all patients for being included in the study.

Disclosure statement

None.

Additional information

Funding

This study was financially supported by the Polish State Committee for Scientific Research, Grants no. 3 P05C 067 23p01, 2 P05C 024 29, 3 P05C 031 22, N403 069 31/3255, and N N403 038839.