Table 5. Characteristics of included Chinese studies for ease of reference.
| First author | Year | Type | Surgery | Sample size | Operation time | Postoperative complications | Blood loss in operation | Number of dissected lymph nodes | Postoperative hospitalization days | Abdominal drainage | Gastrointestinal function recovery days |
| Chen CP [25] | 2012 | RCT | USS | 60 | 182.5±47.3 | 101.6±72.1 | 21.2±6.7 | 2.8±0.6 | |||
| Conventional | 60 | 201.4±51.2 | 193.7±68.1 | 22.3±7.1 | 3.9±0.7 | ||||||
| Liu L [26] | 2010 | RCT | USS | 19 | 110±15 | 220±20 | 165±20 | ||||
| Conventional | 21 | 165±20 | 350±30 | 250±15 | |||||||
| Xu L [34] | 2010 | RCT | USS | 23 | 171.2±52.5 | 97.3±74.1 | 24.1±4.7 | 3.0±0.5 | |||
| Conventional | 19 | 202.8±47.9 | 186.1±67.4 | 23.3±4.1 | 3.9±0.7 | ||||||
| Zhang ZY [27] | 2012 | RCT | USS | 50 | 131±17 | 8 | 57±35 | 15±4 | 105±31 | ||
| Conventional | 48 | 156±20 | 9 | 105±50 | 15±3 | 169±29 | |||||
| Lu WQ [30] | 2008 | RCT | USS | 26 | 0 | 21 | 226 | ||||
| Conventional | 23 | 2 | 20 | 712 | |||||||
| Yin B [18]* | 2011 | nRCT | USS | 97 | 160±35 | 93±40 | 2.9±1.7 | ||||
| Conventional | 122 | 202±41 | 152±67 | 3.9±1.6 | |||||||
| Li G [19]* | 2010 | nRCT | USS | 97 | 160±35 | 6 | 93±40 | 16±3.4 | 2.9±1.7 | ||
| Conventional | 122 | 202±41 | 7 | 152±67 | 13.1±3.3 | 3.9±1.6 | |||||
| Wei ZM [22] | 2010 | nRCT | USS | 34 | 172.1±18.2 | 105.2±24.3 | 27.3±4.4 | 12.1±1.2 | 561.9±85.2 | ||
| Conventional | 38 | 224.3±23.5 | 208.6±52.4 | 21.3±6.8 | 13.8±1.6 | 591.9±105.6 | |||||
| Tu JC [23] | 2010 | nRCT | USS | 156 | 110±35 | 110±60 | 24±5 | 180±60 | |||
| Conventional | 140 | 135±40 | 140±75 | 23±6 | 270±90 | ||||||
| Fu YM [24] | 2011 | nRCT | USS | 70 | 26±4 | 178±54 | |||||
| Conventional | 70 | 23±3 | 280±65 | ||||||||
| Li P [28] | 2011 | nRCT | USS | 111 | 170.2±52.5 | 97.5±74.1 | 24.2±4.7 | 3.1±0.5 | |||
| Conventional | 120 | 202.5±47.9 | 186.2±67.4 | 23.4±4.1 | 3.8±0.7 | ||||||
| Tu XH [29] | 2009 | nRCT | USS | 42 | 128.2±34.1 | 1 | 124.2±39.4 | 23.5±5.1 | 11.5±2.9 | 173.9±30.2 | 4.1±1.1 |
| Conventional | 54 | 165.6±40.5 | 3 | 274.6±64.6 | 21.5±5.5 | 12.9±3.6 | 289.8±46.1 | 4.5±1.4 | |||
| Chen Z [31] | 2009 | nRCT | USS | 21 | 125±21 | 0 | 50±15 | 25±11 | |||
| Conventional | 25 | 145±29 | 2 | 72±28 | 23±14 | ||||||
| Li ZR [32] | 2009 | nRCT | USS | 49 | 169.0±56.6 | ||||||
| Conventional | 56 | 358.0±125.6 | |||||||||
| Lin YH [33] | 2011 | nRCT | USS | 35 | 50.1±20.7 | 32.1±4.6 | 170.2±28.4 | ||||
| Conventional | 28 | 171.4±30.4 | 20.2±5.1 | 289.7±46.2 | |||||||
| Shi YF [35] | 2012 | nRCT | USS | 30 | 175.6±45.6 | 95.4±45.3 | 3.0±0.5 | ||||
| Conventional | 30 | 210.5±50.4 | 185.5±60.8 | 4.5±1.0 | |||||||
| Song XP [36] | 2011 | nRCT | USS | 47 | 150±36 | 3 | 115±96 | 20.1±4.4 | |||
| Conventional | 54 | 197±62 | 8 | 426±115 | 18.9±4.6 |
Abbreviations: USS: ultrasonic scalpel. RCT: randomized controlled trials; nRCT: non-randomized controlled trials. *: both studies were based on the same population.