Asian Journal of Surgery, launched in 1978, is the official peer-reviewed open access journal of the Asian Surgical Association, the Taiwan Robotic Surgery Association, and the Taiwan Society of Coloproctology. The Journal is published monthly by Elsevier and is indexed in SCIE, Medline, ScienceDirect, Scopus, Embase, Current Contents, PubMed, Current Abstracts, BioEngineering Abstracts, SIIC Data Bases, CAB Abstracts, and CAB Health.

ASJSUR has a growing reputation as an important medium for the dissemination of cutting-edge developments in surgery and its related disciplines in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. Studies on state-of-the-art surgical innovations across the entire spectrum of clinical and experimental surgery are particularly welcome.

The journal publishes original articles, review articles, and case reports that are of exceptional and unique importance. The journal publishes original articles, review articles, and case reports that are of exceptional and unique importance.

Benefits to authors
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Review Articles
Original Articles
Case Reports
Letters to the Editor
Technical Notes and Video Vignettes

Editor-in-Chief
Jin-Tung Liang
National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan Email Jin-Tung Liang
Executive Editor
Meng-Kun Tsai
National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
Co-Editor
Gyu-Seog Choi
Kyungpook National University, Medical Center, Korea, Republic of
Tsann-Long Hwang
Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan
SECTION EDITORS – Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery
Wei-Jei Lee
Min Sheng General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
SECTION EDITORS – Cardiovascular Surgery
Shoei-Shen Wang
National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
SECTION EDITORS – Endocrine Surgery
Shih-Horng Huang
Taipei City Hospital Renai Branch, Taipei, Taiwan
SECTION EDITORS - Gastrointestinal Surgery
Su-Shun Lo
National Yang Ming University Hospital, Yilan, Taiwan
SECTION EDITORS – Head and Neck Surgery
Tsung-Lin Yang
National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
SECTION EDITORS - Hepato-biliary-pancreatic Surgery
Cheng-Chung Wu
Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
SECTION EDITORS – Neurosurgery
Fon-Yih Tsuang
National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
SECTION EDITORS – Pediatric Surgery
Wen-Ming Hsu
National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
SECTION EDITORS – Plastic Surgery
Yur-Ren Kuo
Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
SECTION EDITORS – Thoracic Surgery
Jang-Ming  Lee
National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
SECTION EDITORS - Urology
Shih-Chieh Chueh
Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, United States
EDITORIAL BOARD – Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery
Chih-Kun Huang
China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
Kazunori Kasama
Yotsuya Medical Cube, Chiyoda-Ku, Japan
Muffazal Lakdawala
Centre for Obesity & Digestive Surgery, Mumbai, India
Paryush Lakhtaria
Staten Island University Hospital, Staten Island, United States
Hrishikesh Nerkar
Brookdale University Hospital Medical Center, Brooklyn, United States
Asim Shabbir
National University Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
Ming-Shian Tsai
I-Shou University, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan
Kin-Hung Wong
Prince of Wales Hospital, New Territories, Hong Kong
EDITORIAL BOARD – Breast Surgery
Feng Yih Chai
Hospital Keningau, Keningau, Malaysia
Dar-Ren Chen
Changhua Christian Hospital, Taiwan
Ming-Feng Hou
Kaohsiung Municipal United Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Chiun-Sheng Huang
National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
Shyr-Ming Sheen-Chen
Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
Masakazu Toi
Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
Jyh-Cheng Yu
Tri-Service General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
EDITORIAL BOARD – Cardiovascular Surgery
Jang Yong Kim
Seoul Saint Mary's Hospital, Seocho-gu, Korea, Republic of
Ngoh Chin Liew
Putra Malaysia University, Serdang, Malaysia
InSung Moon
Catholic University of Korea - Songsim Campus, Bucheon, Korea, Republic of
Peter Robless
Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre, Singapore, Singapore
Ramesh Kaushal Tripathi
University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
EDITORIAL BOARD – Colon and Rectal Surgery
Matthew. R Albert
AdventHealth Altamonte Springs, Orlando, United States
Paolo Pietro Bianchi
Clinical Robotic Surgery Association, Chicago, United States
Chien-Chih Chen
Koo Foundation Sun Yat-Sen Cancer Center, Colorectal Surgery, Taiwan, Taiwan
Tzu-Liang Chen
China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
Francis Seow Choen
Seow-Choen Colorectal Centre Pte Ltd, Singapore, Singapore
Ho-Kyung Chun
Sungkyunkwan University, Jongno-gu, Korea, Republic of
Jin Gu
Beijing Cancer Hospital, Beijing, China
Hsi-Hsien Hsu
Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
Masaaki Ito
National Cancer Center Higashi Hospital, Kashiwa, Japan
David G Jayne
University of Leeds, Colorectal Surgery, Leeds, United Kingdom
Seung-Yong Jeong
Seoul National University Hospital, Cancer Hospital, Korea, Republic of
Kazushige Kawai
The University of Tokyo Hospital, Bunkyo-Ku, Japan
Nam Kyu Kim
Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea, Republic of
Seon-Hahn Kim
Korea University Anam Hospital, Seoul, Korea, Republic of
Wai Lun Law
Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Kil-Yeon Lee
Kyung Hee University Medical Center, Dongdaemun-gu, Korea, Republic of
Suk-Hwan Lee
Kyung Hee University Hospital, Dongdaemun-gu, Korea, Republic of
Yu-Lin Lin
National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
John Marks
Marks Colorectal Surgical Associates, Wynnewood, United States
William Meng
Our Lady of Maryknoll Hospital, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Mario Morino
University of Turin, Torino, Italy
Simon Ng
Chinese University of Hong Kong, New Territories, Hong Kong
Chi Yong James Ngu
Changi General Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
Stefano Saad
University Hospital Cologne, Koln, Germany
Keisuke Uehara
Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan
Jaw-Yuan Wang
Kaohsiung Medical University Chung Ho Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Po-Li Wei
Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
Ming-Shiang Wu
National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH), Dept. of Internal Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
Kun-Huei Yeh
National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
EDITORIAL BOARD – Endocrine Surgery
Wei Keat Cheah
National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
Kuen-Yuan Chen
National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
Quan-Yang Duh
UCSF MEDICAL CENTER AT MOUNT ZION, San Francisco, United States
Shih-Ming Huang
National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan
Kyu Eun Lee
Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea, Republic of
Jacques Marescaux
IRCAD France, Strasbourg, France
Shih-Hsin Tu
Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
Hurng-Sheng Wu
Chang Bing Show Chwan Memorial Hospital, Lukang, Taiwan
EDITORIAL BOARD – Esophageal Surgery
Hirofumi Kawakubo
Keio University School of Medicine Graduate School of Medicine, Shinjuku-Ku, Japan
Simon Ying-Kit Law
Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Yasuyuki Seto
The University of Tokyo Graduate School of Medicine Faculty of Medicine, Bunkyo-Ku, Japan
EDITORIAL BOARD – Gastrointestinal Surgery
Raad Almehdi
The Royal Hospital, Seeb, Oman
Cheul Su Byun
Ajou University, Suwon, Korea, Republic of
Gustavo Carvalho
University of Pernambuco, RECIFE, Brazil
Chiung-Nien Chen
National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
Philip Wai Yan Chiu
Prince of Wales Hospital, New Territories, Hong Kong
Giovanni Dapri
Saint-Pierre University Hospital, Bruxelles, Belgium
Wen-Liang Fang
Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
Woo Jin Hyung
Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea, Republic of
Young-Woo Kim
National Cancer Center, Goyang-si Gyeonggi-do, Korea, Republic of
Dhananjaya Sharma
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Medical College and Hospital, Jabalpur, India
Saurabh Sharma
Mount Sinai Saint Luke's Hospital, New York, United States
Kazuhiro Yoshida
Gifu University School of Medicine Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan
EDITORIAL BOARD – Head and Neck Surgery
Hyun Jun Hong
Catholic Kwandong University International Saint Mary's Hospital, Incheon, Korea, Republic of
Cheng-Ming Hsu
Chiayi Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Puzi, Taiwan
Chwee Ming Lim
Singapore General Hospital, Singapore
Ichiro Tateya
Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
Ming-Shao Tsai
Chiayi Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Puzi, Taiwan
EDITORIAL BOARD – Hepato-biliary-pancreatic Surgery
Shailesh Adhikary
BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal
Jan Jin Bong
Sunway Medical Centre, Bandar Sunway, Malaysia
Kuo-Hsin Chen
Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, New Taipei City, Taiwan
Gi Hong Choi
Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea, Republic of
Brian Kim-Poh Goh
Singapore General Hospital, Singapore
Kiyoshi Hasegawa
The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-Ku, Tokyo, Japan
Serafin Hilvano
University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines
Ming-Chih Ho
National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
Hong-Jin Kim
Yeungnam University Medical Center, Daegu, Korea, Republic of
Rong Liu
Chinese PLA General Hospital, China
Sarder A. Nayeem
Uttara Adhunik Medical College, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Chinnusamy Palanivelu
GEM Hospital and Research Centre, Coimbatore, India
Vishalkumar.G. Shelat
Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
Yi-Ming Shyr
Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
Chung Ngai Tang
Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Yu Wen Tien
National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
Yao-Ming Wu
National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
Ching-Yao Yang
National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
Ta-Sen Yeh
Chang Gung Memorial Hospital Linkou Branch, Taoyuan, Taiwan
EDITORIAL BOARD – Hernia
Davide Lomanto
National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
Feng-Chuan Tai
Cathay General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
Chi-Chuan Yeh
National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
EDITORIAL BOARD – Neurosurgery
Han-Jung Chen
E-Da Hospital, Yanchao, Taiwan
Chung-Ching Chio
Chi Mei Hospital Chiali, Tainan, Taiwan
Sheng-Jean Huang
National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
Shiuh-Lin Hwang
Kaohsiung Medical University Chung Ho Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Lu-Ting Kuo
National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
Dar-Ming Lai
National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
E-Jian Lee
National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan
Kang Lu
E-Da Hospital, Yanchao, Taiwan
Hsin-I Ma
Tri-Service General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
Daniel Walsh
King's College Hospital, London, United Kingdom
EDITORIAL BOARD – Orthopedic Surgery
Akira Myoui
Osaka University Hospital, Suita, Japan
Noel Aaron Peter
University of Oxford Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, Oxford, United Kingdom
Rong-Sen Yang
National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
EDITORIAL BOARD – Pediatric Surgery
Nicholas Chao
Christiana Hospital, Newark, United States
Yun Chen
Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, New Taipei City, Taiwan
Tai-Wai Chin
Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
Jiin-Haur Chuang
Chang Gung Memorial Hospital Kaohsiung Branch, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Seok Joo Han
Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea, Republic of
Mila Kolar
Kingston Health Sciences Centre, Kingston, Canada
Chin-Su Liu
Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
EDITORIAL BOARD – Plastic Surgery
Chien-Tzung Chen
Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan
Shyi-Gen Chen
Tri-Service General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
Kidakorn Kiranantawat
Ramathibodi Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand
Quan Dinh Ngo
Liverpool Hospital, Liverpool, Australia
Francesco Perrone
Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead, United Kingdom
Stamatis Sapountzis
Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead, United Kingdom
Shyh-Jou Shieh
National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan
Hao-Chih Tai
National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
Matthew Yeo
Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
EDITORIAL BOARD – Surgical Translational Research
Manabu Muto
Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
Kenichi Sugihara
Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
EDITORIAL BOARD – Thoracic Surgery
Shah-Hwa Chou
Kaohsiung Medical University Chung Ho Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Han-Shui Hsu
Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
Sanghoon Jheon
Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea, Republic of
Wu-Wei Lai
National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan
Chia-Chuan Liu
Koo Foundation Sun Yat-Sen Cancer Center, Taipei, Taiwan
Hui Ping Liu
Beijing New Journey Cancer Hospital, Beijing, China
Yau-Lin Tseng
National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan
Liang-Shun Wang
Taipei Medical University Shuang Ho Hospital Ministry of Health and Welfare, New Taipei City, Taiwan
Hee Chul Yang
National Cancer Center Japan, Chuo-Ku, Japan
EDITORIAL BOARD – Transplantation
Hideki Ishida
Tokyo Women's Medical University Hospital, Shinjuku-Ku, Japan
Hirotaka Tashiro
Kure Medical Center, Kure, Japan
Chih-Chi Wang
Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital Medical Library, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
EDITORIAL BOARD – Urology
Cheng-Hsing Hsieh
Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
Chao-Yuan Huang
National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
Yen-chuan Ou
Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
Yao-Chou Tsai
Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
Emeritus Editors
Frank J. Branicki
S.W.K. Cheng
Edward C.S. Lai
Po-Huang Lee
Raj Mohan Nambiar
EDITORIAL OFFICE– Managing Editor
John Huang
EDITORIAL OFFICE– Assisting Editor
Yu-Chen Hsiao