Thoracoscopic and laparoscopic esophagoplasty for congenital esophageal stenosis

A congenital esophageal stenosis (CES) is a rare anomaly, and therapeutic strategies are still controversial. Two children with CES located in the lower esophagus, who were treated by endoscopic esophagoplasty that consisted of partial esophageal resection and transverse anastomosis, are reported. A 23-month-old boy with CES at the level of T9 underwent esophagoplasty thoracoscopically. A 13-monthold boy with CES at the level of T10 underwent esophagoplasty followed by anterior partial fundoplication laparoscopically. Both patients are asymptomatic and eat normally 5 years and 6 months after surgery, respectively. Thoracoscopic or laparoscopic partial resection of the esophageal wall and transverse anastomosis are considered effective, less invasive, and safe in the treatment of CES. 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license. Congenital esophageal stenosis (CES) is a rare anomaly, with an incidence of about one per 25,000e50,000 live births [1]. CES is divided into 3 types: tracheobronchial remnants (TBR), fibromuscular thickening (FM), and membranous webbing (MW). The therapeutic strategies, including endoscopic balloon dilatation and resection of the stenotic site, are still controversial [2e8]. Conventionally, esophageal resection has been performed via either laparotomy or thoracotomy depending on the stenotic site. Recently, thoracoscopic or laparoscopic surgeries have been reported for the treatment of CES [9e12]. The cases of two childrenwith CES located in the lower esophagus, who were treated by endoscopic esophagoplasty that consisted of partial esophageal resection and transverse anastomosis, are described. A thoracoscopic approach was used in one, and a laparoscopic approach in the other.