Background. Surgery remains the only curative treatment for gastrointestinal 
stromal tumour (GIST). Resection needs to ensure tumour-free margins while 
lymphadenectomy is not required. Thus, partial gastric resection is the 
treatment of choice for small gastric GISTs. Evidence on whether performing 
resection laparoscopically compromises outcome is limited. Methods. We compiled 
patients undergoing laparoscopic resection of suspected gastric GIST between 
2003 and 2007. Follow-up was performed to obtain information on tumour 
recurrence. Results. Laparoscopic resection with free margins was performed in 
21/22 patients. Histology confirmed GIST in 17 cases, 4 tumours were benign 
neoplasms. Median operation time and postoperative stay for GIST patients were 
130 (range 80-201) mins and 7 (range 5-95) days. Two patients experienced 
stapler line leakage necessitating surgical revision. After median follow-up of 
18 (range 1-53) months, no recurrence occurred. Conclusions. Laparoscopic 
resection of gastric GISTs yields good perioperative outcomes. Oncologic outcome 
needs to be assessed with longer follow-up. For posterior lesions, special 
precaution is needed. Laparoscopic resection could become standard for 
circumscribed gastric GISTs if necessary precautions for oncological procedures 
are observed.