Gastric outlet obstruction is a common, often preterminal, event for patients with inoperable neoplasms of the distal stomach, duodenum, and biliopancreatic area. It can be surgically managed by open or laparoscopic gastrojejunostomy. This study aimed to compare the results of open and laparoscopic palliative gastrojejunostomy for patients with gastric outlet obstruction resulting from inoperable neoplasms. A total of 24 patients were randomized prospectively to undergo laparoscopic (12 patients) or open (12 patients) palliative laterolateral antecolic isoperistaltic gastrojejunostomy. All the procedures were completed as planned. The mean duration of surgery was not significantly different between the two groups (p = 0.75). The mean intraoperative blood loss was significantly less after laparoscopic gastrojejunostomy (LGJ) (p = 0.0001). Time to oral solid food intake was longer after open gastrojejunostomy (OGJ) (p = 0.04). Two patients in the OGJ group experienced postoperative delayed gastric empting, whereas no patients in the LGJ group experienced such a complication (p = 0.04). The mean postoperative stay was shorter in the LGJ group, but the difference did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.65). No readmissions were registered after a minimum follow-up period of 2 months. The findings show that LGJ is a safe, feasible, and effective alternative to OGJ. However, because the current data involved only a small number of patients, large studies still are required for further evaluation of the this operation's effectiveness.

The preliminary experience shows that the reported technique is safe and effective, with the potential to make even difficult laparoscopic liver segmentectomies for segments such as VII and VIII, easier to manage.

A case of a 62-year-old man with Candida krusei peritonitis secondary to duodenal perforation due to Candida duodenitis that was successfully treated with a 14-day course of caspofungin is reported. The potential role of Candida infection in the pathogenesis of peptic ulcers and duodenal perforation is considered. If this role is confirmed, antifungal treatment should be included in the therapeutic armamentarium of peptic disease.

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