Gastro-Jejunal Endoscopic Anastomosis: from Research to Clinical Evidence

Gastro-jejunal anastomosis is a real long time goal for the development and perspectives of NOTES procedures. Few attempts have been done using hybrid techniques or a pure NOTES approach, and numerous ways to carry out the suture have also been used, like T-tags or other suturing devices. It appeared that T-tag gastrojejunal endoscopic anastomosis was not enough reliable. Recently, a novel technique using endosonography-guided placement of a tissue-apposing stent has been proposed (12). In this new approach, in order to perform an endoluminal anastomosis, a self-expandable fully covered stent (tissue apposition stent Axios, X Lumena, California, USA) with both flanges diameter twice that of the “waist” section was used across the desired anastomotic site to hold tissue layers in apposition. Nevertheless this procedure required two different tools and a high level of expertise in EUS. The experimental phase included the implementation of a gastrojejunal anastomosis in 6 animals using a tissue-apposing fully covered metallic stent. Surviving animals were euthanized after 3 weeks. Anastomotic patency in each animal was confirmed by endoscopy and histopathological analysis. The main outcome measurements were the technical feasibility, the operative time, the patency of gastrojejunal anastomosis and the complications were assessed at 3 weeks post-surgery. The procedures were successfully completed in all animals. The mean operative time was 26 ± 6.7 minutes [15-32]. A migration of the stent was noted while checking the patency successfully treated by endoscopy during the same procedure. All the animals were alive after 3 weeks. The mean gain weight during the follow up was 0.85 ± 2.56 kg [-2; +2] instead of 5.2 ± 1.6 kg [+3; +7] in animal controls (p=.007). At the necropsy the stent were still in position in all the cases, without evidence of peritonitis. Histopathology confirmed permeable anastomoses with collagen scar tissue and continuity of the mucosa and mucosa muscle layers. Gastrojejunal anastomosis with a lumen-apposing stent was feasible and reproducible using a pure NOTES approach and standard endoscopic equipment without any leakage or complication. Up to now also endoscopic gastrojejunal anastomosis have been done only in animal models except with magnet gastroduodenal anastomosis which was finally gave up because of severe complications. As we considered that pure NOTES gastrojejunal anastomosis with tissue apposition stent offered a safe, efficient and reliable procedure, we have decided to start performing this procedure in human beings. We performed the first human case in January 2014. The procedure was uneventful in a 30 years-old man with benign duodenal stenosis. The patient was refeed at day 2 with soft diet and normal food at day 4. He was discharged at day 5 after a CT scan and endoscopic control, showing the perfect position of the stent without any problem After a long and challenging period, we believe that NOTES Gastroenteric anastomosis is feasible and acceptable in human beings and it is time to conduct a prospective pilot study. A new gate is opened.