Modified Sujura Operation: Long-Term Results

Abstract. From January 1980 to January 1986 a total of 93 patients with portal hypertension (59 males, 34 females; average age 51.5 years) underwent the modified Sujura’s operation. All patients presented with esophageal varices during the preoperative endoscopic workup. Child’s risk category was A in 6 patients and B in the remaining 87. Our technique consisted of: (1) devascularization of the upper half of the gastric corpus and fundus; (2) devascularization of the last 10 to 12 cm of the thoracic esophagus; (3) pyloric divulsion; (4) resection and anastomosis at the esophagogastric junction; and (5) antireflux fundoplication. In the presence of severe hypersplenism we added splenectomy. The surgical approach was through a xiphoumbilical laparotomy, extended to the left side when splenectomy was anticipated. We observed 19.8% early mortality (10% with elective procedures and 27.2% with emergency operations) and two cases of early rebleeding from acute mucosal lesions. Long-term follow-up of 82 patients revealed 30 cases of rebleeding (36.6%). Ruptured esophageal varices occurred in 12 patients (11 were treated with endoscopic sclerotherapy), whereas in 11 patients the cause of bleeding was a hemorrhagic gastritis. Of the remaining patients, two had rebleeding from a gastric ulcer, one from gastric varices, one from duodenal varices; in three patients the source of the hemorrhage remains unknown. The survival for elective procedure patients was 59.2% at 5 years and 40.7% at 10 years.