Published online Jul 25, 2016. doi: 10.4253/wjge.v8.i14.489
Peer-review started: March 7, 2016
First decision: April 6, 2016
Revised: May 6, 2016
Accepted: May 31, 2016
Article in press: June 2, 2016
Published online: July 25, 2016
Processing time: 137 Days and 22.8 Hours
AIM: To do systematic review of current literature for endoscopic full thickness resection (EFTR) technique for gastric tumors originating from muscularis propria.
METHODS: An extensive English literature search was done till December 2015; using PubMed and Google scholar to identify the peer reviewed original and review articles using keywords-EFTR, gastric tumor, muscularis propria. Human only studies were included. The references of pertinent studies were manually searched to identify additional relevant studies. The indications, procedural details, success rates, clinical outcomes, complications and limitations were considered. For the purpose of review, data from individual studies was combined to calculate mean. No other statistical test was applied.
RESULTS: A total of 9 original articles were identified. Four articles were from same institute and the time frames of these studies were overlapping. To avoid duplication of data, only the study with patients over the longest time interval was included and other three were excluded. In total six studies were included in the final review. In our systematic review, the mean success rate for EFTR of gastric tumors originating from muscularis propria was 96.8%. The mean procedure time varied from a minimum of 37 min to a maximum of 105 min. There was no reported mortality from the technique itself. The most common histological diagnosis was gastrointestinal stromal tumors and leiomyoma. Gastric wall defect closure by either metallic clips or over the scope clip (OTSC) had similar outcomes although experience with OTSC was limited to smaller lesions (< 3 cm).
CONCLUSION: EFTR is a minimally invasive technique to resect gastric submucosal tumors originating from muscularis propria with a high success rate and low complication rate.
Core tip: Endoscopic submucosal dissection success for gastric submucosal tumors arising from muscularis propria has remained limited. Authors have reported success with endoscopic full thickness resection (EFTR) in achieving complete resection of gastric tumors (as large as 5 cm) originating from musucularis propria in the absence of major complications. EFTR seems to be a reasonable replacement for laparoscopic technique for this subset of patients. Careful selection of candidates by preoperative imaging and endoscopy including endoscopic ultrasound to rule out metastatic disease and to confirm the size and location of lesion remains crucial.