Laparoendoscopic transgastric enucleation of an awkwardly sited peri-cardial gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST): A multi- modal approach

In the modern era of surgery, minimally invasive surgery is increasingly applied for excision of gastrointestinal stromal tumors. Site, size and tumor location are important factors that affect the surgical approach and excision. We performed a laparoendoscopic transgastric enucleation of a 4-cm pericardial endophytic gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) using an energy device. The surgery was successful and post-operative recovery uneventful. No tumor recurrence was detected on surveillance gastroscopy. In the safe hands of a well-trained laparoscopic upper gastrointestinal surgeon, pericardial GIST can be enucleated safely by this method. The avoidance of surgical staplers is not only cost-effective, but also reduces the risk of associated complications.