{
  "abstract": "Delayed gastric conduit emptying (DGCE) is a common functional complication after oesophagectomy, yet it remains inconsistently defined and managed. Although consensus diagnostic criteria are available, their incorporation into routine audit and the contemporary international patterns of DGCE-related practice have not been characterized. This study aimed to describe current international practice in the prevention, diagnosis and management of DGCE. A cross-sectional online survey was developed and distributed to surgeons performing oesophagectomy internationally through The Upper Gastrointestinal Surgical Society. The 55-item instrument captured practice patterns and perceptions relating to DGCE across the perioperative care pathway and during follow-up. Associations were assessed using Pearson chi-square and Fisher's exact tests. Two hundred and thirty surgeons from 57 countries responded. Fewer than one in five documented early (19.1%) or late (19.6%) DGCE using a standardized audit definition, and incidence was commonly perceived to be less than 10% for both. Prophylactic pyloric intervention was reported by 61.7% of respondents and varied significantly by operative platform, being more frequent among open and hybrid surgeons than minimally invasive or robotic surgeons (P = 0.013). Management of established DGCE was highly variable, with conservative and pharmacological measures predominating as first-line therapy and endoscopic pyloric interventions most commonly employed for refractory late DGCE. DGCE practice after oesophagectomy remains highly heterogeneous, shaped by institutional habit as much as by evidence. These findings support wider adoption of standardized DGCE definitions, incorporation of DGCE outcomes into institutional and national registries, and prospective trials comparing prophylactic pyloric strategies.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Surgery, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia.",
    "Department of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery, St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne, 41 Victoria Parade, Fitzroy, Victoria 3065, Australia.",
    "Division of Cancer Surgery, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre, 305 Grattan Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia.",
    "Imperial College London, Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London SW7 2AZ, UK.",
    "Department of Surgery, National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, 1 Kasr Al-Ainy Street, Cairo 11796, Egypt.",
    "Department of Surgery, Leicester Royal Infirmary, Infirmary Square, Leicester, Leicestershire LE1 5WW, UK.",
    "Department of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery, The James Cook University Hospital, Marton Road, Middlesbrough, Cleveland TS4 3BW, UK.",
    "Division of Surgery, Northern Health, Northern Hospital Epping, 185 Cooper Street, Epping, Victoria 3076, Australia.",
    "Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery Unit, Austin Hospital, 145 Studley Road, Heidelberg, Victoria 3084, Australia.",
    "Victorian Interventional Research and Trials Unit, Department of Surgery, The University of Melbourne, Austin Health, 145 Studley Road, Heidelberg, Victoria 3084, Australia.",
    "The Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, The University of Melbourne, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, 305 Grattan Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia.",
    "National Oesophageal and Gastric Centre, St James's Hospital and Trinity College Dublin, James's Street, Dublin 8, D08 NHY1, Ireland."
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 12,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1,
        2
      ],
      "name": "Jonathan Sivakumar",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-1756-5780"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3,
        4
      ],
      "name": "Mohamed Abulazayem"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Michael W Hii"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Feras Alnimri"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5
      ],
      "name": "Alex Boddy"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6
      ],
      "name": "Yirupaiahgari K S Viswanath"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        7
      ],
      "name": "Carlos Cabalag"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2,
        8,
        9,
        10
      ],
      "name": "David S Liu",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-8936-4123"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        11
      ],
      "name": "Jessie A Elliott"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        11
      ],
      "name": "Yogesh Vashist"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        2
      ],
      "name": "Cuong P Duong"
    },
    {
      "name": "TUGSS Collaborative Group"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7c6mjrkfpkfte.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1093/dote/doag115",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13682582",
  "id": "7c6mjrkfpkfte",
  "issns": [
    "1120-8694",
    "1442-2050"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42900764",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2746|Esophageal Cancer Research and Treatment"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7223044227",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13682582?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13682582",
  "pmid": "42900764",
  "published": "2026-09-01",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7c6mjrkfpkfte.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:19:41Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42900764",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42900764"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2746|Esophageal Cancer Research and Treatment",
      "subfield": "surgery"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Contemporary international practice patterns in the prevention, diagnosis, and management of delayed gastric conduit emptying after oesophagectomy: an international survey of oesophagogastric surgeons.",
  "title_text": "Contemporary international practice patterns in the prevention, diagnosis, and management of delayed gastric conduit emptying after oesophagectomy: an international survey of oesophagogastric surgeons.",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:19:41Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7c6mjrkfpkfte",
  "venue": "Diseases of the esophagus : official journal of the International Society for Diseases of the Esophagus",
  "versions": []
}