Reopenable clip‐over‐the‐line method for closing large mucosal defects following gastric endoscopic submucosal dissection: Prospective feasibility study

OBJECTIVES: Large mucosal defects following gastric endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) cause postoperative bleeding. To address this limitation and ensure closure of large mucosal defects, we developed the reopenable clip-over-the-line method (ROLM) using a reopenable clip and nylon line. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of the ROLM for closure of large mucosal defects following gastric ESD in a prospective, consecutive series of cases. METHODS: We performed the ROLM on 50 consecutive patients with gastric mucosal defects at the Ise Red Cross Hospital and Mie Prefectural Shima Hospital. The time to complete the ROLM, numbers of clips and lines required, size of defect, and closure success rate were measured, and postoperative adverse events were recorded. RESULTS: In all, 50 lesions were included in this study period between July 2021 and March 2022. The success rates of defect closure and defect closure without submucosal dead space of the ROLM were both 100% (50/50), with a median ROLM time of 30 (range, 14-35) min and a median resected specimen major axis of 45 (range, 31-73) mm. The median number of reopenable clips used was 31 (range, 10-93). Following gastric ESD, two cases of post-ESD bleeding were observed during the follow-up periods. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that ROLM is a feasible strategy for complete closure of mucosal defects post-ESD without submucosal dead space. Future comparative studies with post-ESD bleeding rate as the main outcome are desirable to evaluate the efficacy of ROLM.