Fig. 5

Intraoperative findings. a After incising the left side of the nerve plexus around the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) (arrow indicates the incision line), part of the nerve plexus was assessed as a frozen tissue section to confirm the absence of tumor cells (arrowhead). Right and left branches of the middle colic arteries (MCAs) are taped. b View after resection via incised transverse mesocolon. Arrowhead indicates the stump of the common trunk of the right gastroepiploic artery, left branch of the MCA, first jejunal artery, and inferior pancreaticoduodenal artery. The dorsal nerve plexus around the SMA was dissected by approximately 240°. The left renal vein was observed on the dorsal side of the SMA