Short-and long-term outcomes of laparoscopic versus open gastrectomy in patients with gastric cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Table 4 Subgroup analysis of the first time on a liquid diet

Variables	Number of studies	Heterogeneity	Model	MD	95% CI		P	P_sub
Variables	Number of studies	I²	Model	MD	Lower	Upper	P	P_sub
Countries								0.42
China	2	90%	RE	0.07	−1.90	2.04	0.94
Japan	2	96%	RE	−0.55	−3.20	2.09	0.68
ROK	2	35%	FE	−0.32	−0.47	−0.17	<0.0001
Western countries	2	0%	FE	−0.08	−0.28	0.12	0.45
Type of gastrectomy								0.07
Distal gastrectomy	4	88%	RE	−0.41	−0.95	0.13	0.14
Total gastrectomy	1	-	RE	1.18	−0.08	2.44	0.07
^aUndifferentiated	3	92%	RE	−0.35	−0.90	0.20	0.21
Stages								0.29
EGC or stage I	4	90%	RE	−0.16	−1.20	0.89	0.77
AGC	3	89%	RE	−0.42	−0.87	0.03	0.07
^bMixture	1	-	RE	0.00	−0.26	0.26	1.00

ROK Republic of Korea, EGC early gastric cancer, AGC advanced gastric cancer, P_subP-value of subgroup
^aUndifferentiated: there was undifferentiated of type of gastrectomy in original articles
^bMixture: EGC or stage I gastric cancer plus AGC

ISSN: 1477-7819