Abstract:Objective To analyze the effect of patient position on the results of endoscopic full-thickness resection procedures of large submucosal gastric tumors.Methods This is a retrospective study in which consecutive patients with large ( ≥ 2.0 cm) gastric submucosal tumors who underwent endoscopic full-thickness resection from December 2017 to July 2019 were included. During the procedure the patient’s position was changed to maintain the tumor from being submerged under gastric fluids. The relationship between tumor location and patient's position required for successful endoscopic full-thickness resection procedure were analyzed.Results 37 patients were included in this study. The position during the operation included left lateral position, supine position, prone position and right lateral position. The intraoperative position was adopted to keep the tumor in a high position according to the location of the tumor. The operative field was well exposed and the endoscopic operations were not affected by the liquid in the gastric cavity. All these patients underwent successful endoscopic full-thickness resection. No tumor fell into the peritoneal cavity, no overt peritonitis and massive bleeding occurred in any patient.Conclusion Intraoperative postural management to keep the tumor in high position should be considered before and during endoscopic full-thickness resection of large submucosal gastric tumors. A preoperative CT scan or the observation after water injection under endoscope is especially useful to provide crucial information for choosing the patient position. This position management is simple and does not increase the hospitalization cost. It has the advantages of reducing the difficulty of endoscopic operation, increasing the safety of operation and shortening the operation time.