end-to-end esophagojejunostomy versus standard end-to-side esophagojejunostomy: which one is preferable?

abstract background: end-to-side esophagojejunostomy has almost always been associated with some degree of dysphagia. to overcome this complication we decided to perform an end-to-end anastomosis and compare it with end-to-side roux-en-y esophagojejunostomy. methods: in this prospective study, between 1998 and 2005, 71 patients with a diagnosis of gastric adenocarcinoma underwent total gastrectomy. standard esophagojejunostomy with an end-to-side fashion was performed in 41 patients and compared with our recommended technique of end-to-end esophagojejunostomy in 30 patients. results: this study showed that esophagojejunostomy with an end-to-end fashion has a low incidence of postoperative dysphagia (33.3%), whereas in those with an endto- side anastomosis the rate of ysphagia is very high (83%). conclusion: a roux-en-y esophagojejunostomy with an end-to-end anastomosis has a low incidence of postoperative dysphagia and we strongly recommend using this technique.