Prospective randomized trial of laparoscopic gastrojejunostomy versus duodenal stenting for malignant gastric outflow obstruction

Background: We prospectively compared laparoscopic gastrojejunostomy with duodenal stenting as a means of palliating malignant gastric outflow obstruction. Methods: A total of 27 patients with malignant gastric outflow obstruction were randomized to either laparoscopic gastrojejunostomy (LGJ) or duodenal stenting (DS) over a 3-year period. Results: Thirteen patients underwent successful LGJ and 10 had successful DS. Eight patients had complications after LGJ, but none had complications after DS. Patients who underwent LGJ had a significant increase in visual analog pain score at day 1 (p = 0.05), and also had a longer hospital stay compared to those who underwent DS (11.4 vs. 5.2 days, p = 0.02). After DS, patients experienced an improvement in physical health at I month as measured using the Short Form-36 (SF36) questionnaire (p < 0.01). There was no change following LGJ. Conclusion; Duodenal stenting is a safe means of palliating malignant gastric outflow obstruction. It offers significant advantages for patients compared with minimal-access surgery.