Background: Little data are available for abscess and non-abscess abdominal fluid collections (AFCs) after gastric cancer surgery and their clinical implications. We sought to analyse the natural history of such collections in a population of patients subject to routine postoperative imaging.Methods: From 1996 to 2012, 1381 patients underwent gastric resections and routine postoperative monitoring with abdominal ultrasound. As a unit protocol, examinations were carried out in all patients prior to drain removal, immediately before discharge, and at follow-up visits.Results: AFCs were diagnosed in 134 (9.7%) patients after a median time from surgery of seven days (interquartile range (IQR) 5-11 days). Sixty-four of the 134 AFCs (48%) were asymptomatic and resolved spontaneously after a median follow-up of 26.5 days (IQR 14-91 days). Seventy (52%) AFCs required interventional drainage. A stepwise logistic regression model demonstrated that interventional treatment was much more likely among patients with enteric fistula (odds ratio (OR) 9.542, 95% CI 1.418-46.224, p=.003) and pancreatic fistula (OR 7.157, 95% CI 1.340-39.992, p=.012).Conclusions: About one half of AFCs after gastric surgery were asymptomatic and eventually resolved spontaneously without any intervention. However, the need for interventional drainage was significantly increased by coexisting pancreatic or enteric fistula.
Keywords: Gastric cancer; abdominal abscess; abdominal fluid collections; complications; gastrectomy.