Combined application of the preclosure technique and traction approach facilitates endoscopic full-thickness resection of gastric submucosal tumors

BACKGROUND Gastrointestinal submucosal tumors (SMTs) mostly grew in the lumen, but also some of the lesions were extraluminal, in which the stomach was the most common site. Gastrointestinal stromal tumor account for a large proportion of SMT. Due to the deep lesion location of gastric SMT, endoscopic submucosal dissection related techniques are difficult to operate, while endoscopic full-thickness resection (EFTR) has been widely used in clinical practice because it is less invasive and can preserve the physiological structure and function of the stomach. However, complete closure of the gastrectomy site after EFTR is critical. If the closure is incomplete, it may cause peritonitis, late perforation and other conditions, and even require further surgical intervention. Although there are currently a number of suture devices and techniques that can be used to promote closure, they have the problem of requiring additional equipment or being inconvenient to use. Although metal clips are widely used, their effectiveness depends on the size and tension of the defect. Therefore, an effective and convenient endoscopic closure technique is urgently needed to solve the closure problem of gastric SMTs after treatment. AIM To investigate the effect of combined application of the preclosure technique and dental floss traction in gastric wound closure following EFTR. METHODS In this study, the data of 94 patients treated for gastric SMTs at the Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Center of the Affiliated Union Hospital of Fujian Medical University from April 2022 to May 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into a preclosure group (54 patients) and a non-preclosure group (40 patients) on the basis of the timing of wound closure with titanium clips after dental floss traction-assisted EFTR. Each patient in the preclosure group had their wounds preclosed with titanium clips after subtotal lesion resection, whereas each patient in the non-preclosure group had their wounds closed with titanium clips after total lesion resection. The lesion size, wound closure time, number of titanium clips used, incidence of postoperative complications, and postoperative hospitalization time were compared between the two groups. RESULTS The wound closure time was significantly shorter in the preclosure group than in the non-preclosure group (6.69 +/- 2.109 minutes vs 11.65 +/- 3.786 minutes, P < 0.001). The number of titanium clips used was significantly lower in the preclosure group (8.93 +/- 2.231) than in the non-preclosure group (12.05 +/- 4.495) (P < 0.001). There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of the need for an indwelling gastric tube or the length of postoperative hospital stay (6.41 +/- 1.31 vs 6.13 +/- 1.06 days). For all patients in the preclosure group and the non-preclosure group, resection was completed successfully without bleeding, abdominal pain, abdominal distension, or other postoperative complications. CONCLUSION Application of the preclosure technique combined with dental floss traction can be used intraoperatively to effectively close the surgical wound in patients undergoing EFTR, reliably preventing the tumor from falling into the peritoneal cavity.