Endogastric Surgery

Endogastric surgery is a branch of minimally invasive surgery that combines flexible endoscopy and laparoscopy. By placing trocars directly into the stomach, quite a number of procedures may be performed. Leiomyomas and other benign gastric tumors are readily removed, and in Asia early gastric cancers are removed with these techniques. Large pancreatic pseudocysts abutting the posterior wall of the stomach may be drained through the stomach using an endogastric approach. Lastly, intragastric bleeding in areas not reachable with a conventional endoscope may be approached with an endogastric approach. Although the indications for these procedures are—in general—rare, they are not difficult to perform, and outcomes have been superb.