Introduction: We examined the clinical manifestations and computed tomography findings of patients with leakage after gastrectomy for cancer and determined the sensitivity of the contrast swallow for the leakage diagnosis.
Methods: The medical records of 331 consecutive patients undergoing gastrectomy between January 1992 and December 2003 were reviewed. Routine contrast swallow was performed in all patients before oral intake. Once leakage was suspected, an emergency contrast swallow was performed and its diagnostic sensitivity determined.
Results: In total, leakage was diagnosed 9 of 17 times by the contrast swallow, for a diagnostic sensitivity of 53%. The clinical signs or another imaging modality often corrected the misdiagnosis.
Conclusions: The diagnostic sensitivity of contrast swallow for leakage after gastrectomy was low. Therefore, if we employ the contrast swallow technique, we should keep in mind its low sensitivity.