Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy of totally laparoscopic pylorus-preserving gastrectomy (TLPPG) with preservation of the first branch of the right gastroepiploic vein in early gastric cancer (EGC).

Methods The retrospective and descriptive study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 38 EGC patients who were admitted to the Subei Hospital Affiliated to Yangzhou University from July 2018 to May 2021 were collected. There were 18 males and 20 females, aged 60 (range, 39‒73) years. All patients underwent TLPPG with preservation of the first branch of the right gastroepiploic vein.Observation indicators: (1) surgical and postoperative condi-tions; (2) postoperative histopathological examination. (3) follow‑up. Follow‑up was conducted using outpatient examination, WeChat interview and medical record review to detect the nutritional status, residual stomach function, cholecystolithiasis, tumor recurrence and metastasis and death of patients. Follow‑up was up to July 2022. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean±SD, and measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M(range). Count data were described as absolute numbers.

Results (1) Surgical and postoperative conditions. All 38 patients underwent TLPPG with preservation of the first branch of the right gastroepiploic vein successfully, without laparotomy conversion. The operation time, volume of intraoperative blood loss, time to postoperative first flatus, time to postoperative first liquid food intake and duration of postoperative hospital stay of the 38 patients were (180±28)minutes, (58±38)mL, (2.7±0.6)days, (3.4±0.7)days and (10.3±2.8)days, respectively. Of the 38 patients, there were 6 cases with postoperative complications ≥grade Ⅱ of Clavien⁃Dindo classification. (2) Postoperative histopatho-logical examination. The tumor diameter, distance from proximal resection margin to tumor and distance from distal resection margin to tumor of the 38 patients were (1.8±0.5)cm, (3.4±0.2)cm and (4.3±0.4)cm, respectively. Both of proximal and distal resection margin was negative. Numbers of lymph node examined and numbers of lymph node examined in the No.6 lymph node of the 38 patients were 23.3±3.9 and 3.4±1.1, respectively. There were 38 cases with pathological T1 stage including 23 cases of T1a stage and 15 cases of T1b stage. There were 36 cases with pathological N0 stage and 2 cases with pathological N1 stage. There were 36 cases with pathological ⅠA stage and 2 cases with pathological ⅠB stage of TNM staging. (3) Follow‑up. All 38 patients were followed up for 18(range, 12‒48)months. The hemoglobin, serum albumin and total serum protein of the 38 patients were (125.4±5.8)g/L, (42.4±2.3)g/L and (71.6±2.1)g/L, respectively, at postoperative 6 month. Endo-scopy was used to evaluate the function of residual stomach of patients at postoperative 12 month. There were 4 patients with moderate amount of food remaining in the residual stomach. No patient suffered reflux esophagitis, reflux gastritis and bile reflux. None of the 38 patients received post-operative chemotherapy, and there was no tumor recurrence and metastasis or death occured in patient.

Conclusion TLPPG with preservation of the first branch of the right gastroepiploic vein is safe and feasible for the treatment of EGC patients with tumor located at 1/3 of the middle segment of stomach.