 After obtaining informed consent from the patient, including a thorough explanation of the risks and benefits of the aforementioned procedure, the patient was taken to the operating room and general endotracheal anesthesia was administered.  Prior to administration of general anesthesia, the patient had an epidural anesthesia placed.  In addition, he had a dual-lumen endotracheal tube placed.  The patient was placed in the supine position to begin the procedure.  His abdomen and chest were prepped and draped in the standard surgical fashion.  After applying sterile dressings, a #10-blade scalpel was used to make an upper midline incision from the level of the xiphoid to just below the umbilicus.  Dissection was carried down through the linea using Bovie electrocautery.  The abdomen was opened.  Next, a Balfour retractor was positioned as well as a mechanical retractor.  Next, our attention was turned to freeing up the stomach.  In an attempt to do so, we identified the right gastroepiploic artery and arcade.  We incised the omentum and retracted it off the stomach and gastroepiploic arcade.  The omentum was divided using suture ligature with 2-0 silk.  We did this along the greater curvature and then moved to the lesser curvature where the short gastric arteries were taken down with ligation using 2-0 silk.  Next, we turned our attention to performing a Kocher maneuver.  This was done and the stomach was freed up.  We took down the falciform ligament as well as the caudate attachment to the diaphragm.  We enlarged the diaphragmatic hiatus so as to be able to place approximately 3 fingers into the chest.  We also did a portion of the esophageal dissection from the abdomen into the chest area.  The esophagus and the esophageal hiatus were identified in the abdomen.  We next turned our attention to the left gastric artery.  The left gastric artery was identified at the base of the stomach.  We first took the left gastric vein by ligating and dividing it using 0 silk ties.  The left gastric artery was next taken using suture ligature with silk ties followed by 2-0 stick tie reinforcement.  At this point the stomach was freely mobile.  We then turned our attention to performing our jejunostomy feeding tube.  A 2-0 Vicryl pursestring was placed in the jejunum approximately 20 cm distal to the ligament of Treitz.  We then used Bovie electrocautery to open the jejunum at this site.  We placed a 16-French red rubber catheter through this site.  We tied down in place.  We then used 3-0 silk sutures to perform a Witzel.  Next, the loop of jejunum was tacked up to the abdominal wall using 2-0 silk ties.  After doing so and pulling the feeding jejunostomy out through the skin and securing it appropriately, we turned our attention to closing the abdomen.  This was done with #1 Prolene.  We put in a 2nd layer of 2-0 Vicryl.  The skin was closed with 4-0 Monocryl.